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SURF Opportunities

Undergraduate Research

The application portal for the 2026 SURF Program is now open! 

The application deadline has been extended to Friday, March 21, 2026.

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah offers a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) where students work closely with a faculty mentor and their research group on an individual project.

Interested and qualified students are invited to apply for this 11-week summer program. 

For Summer 2026, the SURF program runs from May 19 - August 1.

Program participants gain direct experience by working in ongoing experimental or theoretical research programs in the following fields:

Astronomy & Astrophysics
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Astroparticle Physics
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Biophysics
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Condensed Matter Physics
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High Energy Physics
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Physics Education Research
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SURF awardees will also attend weekly seminars on current research in Physics & Astronomy, in addition to professional development workshops offered by the UofU's Office of Undergraduate Research.  The program also includes several organized activities including a two-night camping and river rafting trip.  The experience culminates with a poster presentation of findings at a closing Symposium.  SURF awardees receive an hourly wage of $16 per hour up to a maximum of $7,000 for the Summer work period.

Eligibility 

SURF is open to undergraduate majors in physics or astronomy at the University of Utah who meet the following criteria:

  • Applicants must not previously received funding from SURF or the University of Utah Physics & Astronomy Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. 
  • Applicants must be matriculated U of U physics/astronomy undergraduate majors; students who have already graduated or who have not yet entered the Physics and Astronomy program are not eligible. 
  • Applicants must be eligible for university employment and must report their earnings when applying for other sources of financial aid. 

In addition to the above eligibility requirements, priority will be given to applicants who have already established a research mentorship with a faculty member in the Department of Physics & Astronomy.  This is important since each SURF faculty mentor provides the majority of the funding for each fellowship position.

If you do not meet these eligibility requirements or think you will not be given priority based on the criteria above, then we encourage you to reach out to reu@physics.utah.edu with questions.  We also encourage you to look into additional undergraduate research programs through the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at the University of Utah and/or REU programs at other institutions.

Application

Applicants should apply using the SURF application form.  Please prepare the following elements as part of the application and please note that you will be prompted to upload files into the application form.  In order to upload files, you will be prompted to log into a Google account; you can use a personal Gmail address, or you can use the University's Google platform:  UID@gcloud.utah.edu (where UID is your university ID number).
  1. Two Letters of Evaluation: Please contact two faculty members or others who can provide information about your interest and potential as a science student, scientist, and/or researcher. Your recommendation providers should send their letters to the following email address by the application deadline:  reu@physics.utah.edu
  2. Personal Statement:Part 1:  Discuss your interest in participating in the SURF program; how participation will fit into your goals (e.g., pursuit of graduate- or professional-level work in a specific discipline or area); the scientific questions that intrigue you and why; and the area in which you would like to conduct research. Be specific about your interests, as this will help facilitate your placement.Part 2:  Discuss your relevant background - academic, personal, and service; the special strengths, interests, and personal qualities that you bring to the program; and what you hope to gain from participating in the program.Your personal statement, including both parts, should be a maximum of 800 words.
  3. Unofficial Transcripts:You will need to upload a copy of your unofficial transcript into this form, including which courses you are taking this semester.

Compensation

SURF awardees will be hired as undergraduate research assistants with a wage of $16 per hour for the summer. They may work up to 40 hours per week with total earnings not to exceed $7,000.

Sponsors

Funds for the SURF program come from the Department of Physics & Astronomy and from individual faculty members.  For Summer 2026, the Department will contribute 40% of the funds for each fellowship and each individual faculty mentor will contribute 60%.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact us at: reu@physics.utah.edu