Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Pharmacy students are encouraged to carry out undergraduate research for credit with a faculty mentor during the academic year. With a few exceptions, stipends are not available for this work. Please contact Dr. Val Watts, the Associate Dean for Research, for information on how to arrange this type of experience.

Interested in a Pharm.D./Ph. D. combined degree? Please see this webpage.

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Purdue University expects to offer five Dean's Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships as well as three Lilly Endowment Gift Undergraduate Summer Research Awards (see description) this summer. In addition, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Industrial & Physical Pharmacy Department of Purdue University expects to offer the Mark and Kandy Fitch Fellowship in Industrial Pharmacy this summer to a student wishing to carry out research with a faculty member in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy. The Fitches are alumni of our School [B.S.(Pharm), 1972] who have generously endowed this fellowship.

An undergraduate selected to participate in any of these fellowships will, by Summer of 2008, typically have completed at least his/her third year of undergraduate study (first professional year of the Pharm. D. or B.S., or junior year of the BSPS) in the Purdue School of Pharmacy with an excellent record, and will be a person interested in seriously investigating the possibility of a career in research (for the Fitch Fellowship, research in pharmaceutics or industrial pharmacy). (Second-year Pre-Pharmacy and BSPS students will also be considered in exceptional cases.)

Please download the appropriate form from the list below. A student may apply for all programs simultaneously, although a student may only hold one fellowship.

A stipend of $3200 plus a $800 housing allowance will be paid for ten weeks of full-time work. The starting and completion dates are negotiable provided that the starting date is no earlier that completion of final examinations for Spring 2007-2008, and the ending date is no later than the start of classes in Fall of 2008-2009. However, there will be a formal seminar during the week of July 30, 2008, in which participating students will be expected to participate. You may not take classes during the tenure of the fellowship without special permission from both your Professor and Associate Dean Watts. Although you may receive academic credit for this program if you wish, to do so you must enroll in Summer Session and pay tuition. Most students opt not to receive credit for financial reasons.

The successful candidates for these fellowships will have outstanding academic records and will have presented evidence of a commitment to scholarship and research over and above the requirements of the curriculum. Students who might want to be considered for these fellowships next year should consider enrolling in undergraduate research for academic credit in the summer or the fall to gain some experience. Dr. Watts can assist you in finding a faculty mentor.

Please note that these fellowships are intended for students who have a serious interest in research as a possible career (including university faculty positions) and desire an opportunity to explore a research environment in more depth so that an informed career choice will be possible. Students who accept a fellowship appointment are, however, under no formal obligation for choice of a career path.

To apply, a student should complete the form(s) below and leave it with Janine Mott, Room 112C RHPH, by Monday, February 29, 2008, at 5:00 P.M. The selection will be made by Associate Dean Watts in consultation with the other deans and appropriate faculty, and will be based on academic record, the student's personal statement, and evidence of motivation toward involvement in research. Although letters of reference are not required, confidential letters may be sent to Dr. Watts under separate cover if desired. Such letters should address your potential for success in research. A brief informal interview may be required.

• Application for the Dean's Undergraduate Research Fellowships and Lilly Endowment Gift Undergraduate Summer Research Awards
• Application for the Mark and Kandy Fitch Fellowship in Industrial Pharmacy

The Dean's summer undergraduate fellowships are financed with $3,000 from Pharmacy gift funds and $1,000 from research funds of the Professor or department. Before applying, you should discuss summer work with the professor(s) of interest and verify that they will accept you into their research group and that they or their Department will provide the $1,000 match. If you are selected, Dr. Watts will verify the matching contribution with your chosen professor. The faculty have been informed about this program. The Fitch fellowship is financed fully by the Fitch endowment and no matching contribution from faculty is required.

If you have further questions, please contact Dr. Val Watts, at 496-3872 or wattsv@purdue.edu.

In addition, the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) offers several Gateway Undergraduate Research Fellowships. Information on these programs appears in mid-Fall, about October 15, and application deadlines are typically late January. This is a national competition. Please see Dr. Watts if you are interested.

Another national competition is the Pfizer Undergraduate Research Award in the Pharmaceutical Sciences. Applications for this program are typically due in March. If you wish to apply, you should be a Pharm. D. student completing the 1st or 2nd professional year or a BSPS student completing the junior year by this summer with an excellent academic record and some prior research experience. Because the School is allowed to nominate not more than two students, interested students and their professorial mentors should confer with Associate Dean Watts before submitting an application.

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology is also offering summer undergraduate research fellowships.

Other institutions also offer summer undergraduate research programs. As we receive information about these, we will post links here.

• Universities
  • University of California at San Diego, Department of Pharmacology
  • University of Cincinnati, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Duquesne University, Bayer School of Natural & Environmental Sciences
  • University of Kansas, Department of Medicinal Chemistry
  • University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy
  • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • University of North Carolina, Molecular Biosciences
  • University of North Carolina, Department of Pharmacology
  • Ohio State University, College of Pharmacy
  • University of Toronto, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
  • Purdue University, Institute for Nanoelectronics and Computing
  • University of Utah, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
  • University of Utah, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
• Other Institutions
  • American Psychological Association
  • CIRRUS (Chemistry Internet Resource for Research by UG Students)
  • HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Insitute)
  • NASA
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program: U CA/Irvine)
  • YSER (Yale Science & Engineering Research)
• Other lists of opportunities
  • Amherst College, Neuroscience (links to other sites)
  • Columbia University, Department of Biology (links to other sites)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (links to other sites)
  • University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences (links to other sites)
  • University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy (links to other sites)

Contact wattsv@purdue.edu for further information.