The UWM Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) invites applications for fall and spring semesters, academic year, and summer Support for Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF). Faculty and academic staff can apply for the awards to provide an hourly wage for undergraduate students working as research assistants. Students will be paid as hourly employees in the $14/hour range. Read the SURF Terms and Conditions here.

This program is designed to foster faculty-student research collaborations, and, as such, we are particularly eager to fund work through which students have the opportunity to engage in thoughtful and progressively sophisticated work central to the overall research program of the principal investigator. Because the awards are part of larger efforts to foster a culture of faculty-undergraduate research collaboration at UWM, we are eager to see proposals engaging lower-division students and students who have been underrepresented in undergraduate research, including students of color, students with disabilities and, in some disciplines, women. Faculty members may prepare multiple applications if more than one student is to be engaged in the work. Students who have received support from the OUR in the past are not excluded from this funding. Proposals will be evaluated based on the funding priorities of the SURF initiative, which include providing resources for:

  • Students
    • who have a record of commitment to research activity (typically, awardees have been involved in the research for credit or as a volunteer before seeking funding)
    • and who see research activity as key to their overall trajectory at UWM
  • Research programs
    • that provide progressively sophisticated activities for undergraduates in faculty-led research
    • that provide a pipeline for lower-division students
    • that are committed to strong outcomes for undergraduate researchers
    • and that promote inclusive excellence
  • Faculty, staff, and departments
    • with a demonstrated record of successfully promoting high quality research opportunities for undergraduates
    • and with a record of careful and efficient management of budgets

Special students are not eligible for SURF funding. All students must be enrolled for a minimum of six credits to be eligible (not required for summer SURF). Please contact our office with any questions regarding a student’s eligibility for this award.