How to get started in research

First you need to figure out what kind of research is interesting to you and which faculty members have opportunities available. To get started on that, take a look at our Department of Physics Research page and explore what our faculty members study. You can view a list of recent senior research projects.

When should you start? Ideally, no later than the spring of your sophomore year (but there are first year students who start talking to different groups to get some ideas and impressions!). Once you have an idea of what type of research you might want to do, just send us email or stop by our offices. Even if we haven’t advertised an opportunity, we might have one available. We are a friendly department, and if one of us doesn’t have a spot available for you, we might be able to point you to someone else who would.

The time commitment for research can vary quite a bit. It’s possible to get involved informally with only a few hours per week. When you’re ready for greater involvement, you can get apply to the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Program (GUROP) or get course credit through our Independent Research course. Over the summer, there are opportunities to get paid for doing research full-time on campus.