Explore big questions.

What Is Research Like at Western?

Contribute to meaningful academic discoveries.

Western is a founding member of the U15, Canada's group of most distinguished research universities.

With world-renowned institutes like the Western Institute for Neuroscience, the Bone and Joint Institute, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, Western connects students to groundbreaking research. Through undergraduate research opportunities, you can work alongside faculty mentors, gaining valuable skills and preparing for your future.

Your teachers are world-class researchers, leading the way in creating more sustainable communities, unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, navigating new realities in space exploration and tackling the challenges of deepening social divides and global instability.

How Students Participate in Research

There are so many ways that Western students can get involved in research, from assisting professors in labs to leading independent projects. Opportunities are available across disciplines and at every stage of your degree.

From developing 3D-printed electrochemical biosensors to searching for medieval manuscript fragments, you can gain experience in research projects that make an impact. As you progress through your degree, you may take research-focused courses, join faculty-led projects or apply for funded research programs. Here are some additional ways to take your learning to the next level.

Undergraduate Summer Research Internships (URSI)

Gain experience over a 16-week summer internship where you will complete research alongside a faculty mentor. This is a paid internship, open to all undergraduate students at Western, with minimum funding of $9,856.

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Examples of USRI Projects

Hunting for poison books within Western Libraries (Arts & Humanities)
Sustainably producing vanilla flavours in Thailand (Engineering)
Investigating early predicators of chronic pain (Medical Sciences)
Examining rock glaciers in Utah (Social Science)

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (URSA)

You can receive a financial award for a research project over summer! USRAs are designed to help you fully develop your potential for a research career in health, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences or humanities. You'll conduct research under the supervision of a Western faculty member.

If you are awarded a USRA, you'll receive $6,000 from a research agency, plus additional funding from your faculty supervisor at Western. USRAs are funded jointly by Canada’s three national research granting agencies: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

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Examples of USRA Projects

Measuring athlete fatigue (Engineering)

Scholar's Electives

Scholar’s Electives is an interdisciplinary, limited enrolment program designed to offer a unique educational experience for high-achieving students. You’ll do your own undergraduate research and take exclusive seminar classes alongside courses for your choice of Arts & Humanities, Science, Medical Sciences, Health Sciences, Kinesiology or Social Science.

You need to apply for Scholar's Electives before you start at Western. Apply to Western on the Ontario Universities' Application Centre and check the box to indicate your interest in Scholar's Electives. Then, submit your Scholar's Electives application by the deadline.

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Head and Heart Indigenous Research Fellowship

The Head and Heart Indigenous Research Fellowship program (H&H) is a two-year summer research programme (May to July in each of two years) geared toward Indigenous upper-year undergraduate students at Western. This Fellowship will prepare you to undertake research at the graduate level and/or in an applied community-based research context.

During the first year, you will undertake in-person coursework in research fundamentals, participate in experiential and land-based learning, network and learn about research opportunities at Western. In the second year, you are paired with Western faculty supervisors from across different disciplines to work on new or existing research projects. 

Explore Indigenous Research Fellowships

World-Class Facilities

Western's state-of-the-art facilities support research changing the world. Here are just a few examples:

Wind Engineering, Energy & Environment (WindEEE) Dome (Engineering) – the world's first hexagonal wind research facility
National Centre for Audiology (Health Sciences) – facilities for studying hearing, including an anechoic chamber and reverberation chamber
Centre for Brain & Mind (Social Science) – technologies and innovative methods for measuring brain activity and behaviour
Surface Science Western (Science) – Canada’s premier surface analysis and materials characterization facility
Imaging Pathogens for Knowledge Translation (ImPaKT) (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry) – aligns top researchers with state-of-the-art tools to combat deadly pathogens

Learn at one of Canada's top research-intensive universities.

From the concept of insulin in 1920 to Aspirin's prevention of strokes, Western has a long history of leadership in research.

Faculty and students use their research to make an impact in communities, cities and countries around the world.

The Western community is going all in to drive impact today and build a better tomorrow.

Explore big questions.

Explore big questions.

What Is Research Like at Western?

Contribute to meaningful academic discoveries.

How Students Participate in Research

Research Internships

Undergraduate Summer Research Internships (URSI)

Examples of USRI Projects

Research Awards

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (URSA)

Examples of USRA Projects

Scholar's Electives

Scholar's Electives

Indigenous Research Fellowship

Head and Heart Indigenous Research Fellowship

World-Class Facilities

Learn at one of Canada's top research-intensive universities.

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WHAT IS WESTERN LIKE?

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