Research

A majority (~65%) of students will engage in some form of research during their time at TAMS. Below is general information on research as a TAMS student.

Seeking Research Mentors

Pair-Up

The "pairing up" process can be bidirectional.

Students Seeking Mentors

Historically the standard practice, students email professors for potential research opportunities. Several things to note:

• Do write an email with good etiquette, clear points, and a mention (maybe a question) of a piece of the mentor's research that interests you.
  • Be sure to read through at least a few of the professor's papers. You don't have to understand everything—in fact, a great way to demonstrate your curiosity is to ask the professor in the email itself. For instance, "I don't quite understand ___, but I would like to get to know more about it. Is there a way we can set up a meeting to discuss ___?" Another option is to ask your senior(s) that are in the professor's lab. Chances are, they'll have a good grasp on what's going on in their research.
  • Writing about how you got interested in the professor's field can also be a great selling point in your email.

• Do NOT send too many emails. Dr. James Duban, Associate Dean for Research and National Scholarships, recommends that each email sent be waited for 3 business days for reply.

Mentors Seeking Students

This is made possible primarily through the newly introduced effort by the TAMS Research Organization. A page is maintained where students can submit a brief form on research interests, and where professors interested in mentoring students may seek those whom they are interested in on a PDF file organized by TAMS staff from the forms students submit.

Further Discussions

After the professor expresses interest, some form of meeting (Zoom or in-person, depending on time) will be scheduled. If an agreement to research under the professor's mentorship is reached, congratulations, you have gotten yourself onboard!

Normal Expectation of Research

On average, approximately 6-10 hours of work is expected per week during school weeks, but more or less may be possible depending on professors.

Summer Research

Each year, depending on fund availability, a select amount of current TAMS juniors (occasionally seniors as well) receive a scholarship to conduct a 10-week research with a research mentor; this is known as "Summer Research".

Early Summer Research

In addition, a small amount of incoming TAMS students also receive scholarship to conduct research, alongside "Summer Research" students; they are known as "Early Summer Research" students. Under the regulation of a comprehensive "contract", students live in McConnell Hall and participate in research activities full-time.

UNT Undergraduate Research Fellowship

The UNT Undergraduate Research Fellowship is an opportunity for students to present research conducted with a UNT faculty mentor. The fellowships are valued at $500 each, and 250 are distributed each year.

Choice of Mentor

There exists some discussions in terms of professors to seek research opportunities for.

Notable Professors in TAMS Research

A table of notable faculty members in UNT who has regularly mentored TAMS students or have in other ways significantly influenced TAMS research is available. As stated, please do not send multiple emails in a row.

College of	Department of	Name
Science	Chemistry	William E. Acree
Science	Chemistry	Thomas R. Cundari
Science	Biological Sciences (Neuroscience)	Jannon Fuchs
Science	Math	Lior Fishman
Science	Physics	José Perez
Engineering	Computer Science and Engineering	Rodney Nelson
Engineering	Computer Science and Engineering	Nagendra Gulur
Engineering	Computer Science and Engineering	Krishna Kavi
Engineering	Computer Science and Engineering	Mark Thompson
Engineering	Computer Science and Engineering	Mark V. Albert

Research Labs

A collection of research labs one might be interested in. Looking into labs can supplement your search for research, as professors work in tandem with their labs to conduct research, and labs often provide more context into the specific projects a professor and their student(s) are working on.

• Computer Systems Research Lab

Research Electives

See Courses for further information. These are used to show that you do research on your transcript.

See also

• Research Organization
• James Duban