Quick Links:

• Identify Information School Research Opportunities
• Learn More About Different Levels of Research Experience
• Explore Research for Academic Credit Options
• Search the Research Opportunities Database

What is research?

Your education involves learning knowledge and skills that researchers have previously discovered or invented. For example, INFO 200 Intellectual Foundations of Informatics or the CSE programming courses you take help you gain knowledge that has been carefully investigated by researchers. You're learning the answers to questions that researchers like those at UW posed long ago and spent decades (or longer!) investigating.

In contrast, research concerns questions for which we have no answers. For example, one unanswered research question we investigate in the Information School is “how can we stop fake news from spreading?” We don't know. There are lots of ideas, but most of them don't really work. Because we don't know the answer, trying to find an answer requires research. If we were to ever find an answer, that would be a major discovery, and it would no longer be research. Instead, we'd start teaching the answer in INFO 200.

The University of Washington is one of the most research-active institutions of higher education in the world. Its tenure-track professors, and many of its teaching-track faculty, are pushing the boundaries of knowledge every day. The Information School is part of this rich landscape, fueled by faculty, research staff, and doctoral students. We are leading the discovery of what information is and its role in the world, but also defining its role through new information technologies and experiences. Examples include inventing apps that get kids to spend more time outside, modeling how rumors spread online, and inventing new touchscreen gestures.

Undergraduates can participate in this discovery. Maybe you're interested in supporting research before you enter the workforce. Maybe you're curious about careers in research and want to gain experience before deciding whether to pursue a Ph.D.. Maybe you just want to be part of discovering new knowledge. Any of these and more are valid reasons to participate in research.

What does the Information School research?

The Information School does research on a broad range of topics:

• Identifying, analyzing, visualizing and securing data for critical business decisions
• Understanding, supporting and enhancing the interactions of youth with digital information and technology
• Devising new ways to leverage an organization’s information assets to succeed in strategic goals
• Promoting digital inclusion and empowering people through training and access to digital information
• Investigating how to promote ethical work-life balance in the information age
• Making information easier to search, browse, and understand
• How to make information technology easier to access, learn, and use

The best way to find out what our faculty are researching is to review the Information School research areas page or browse the faculty profiles. You can also review our Research Centers and Groups. Most of our faculty keep our pages up to date with our latest research.

Why participate in Information School research?

There are many reasons to participate in Information School research!

• You can practice valuable career skills such as dealing with uncertainty, persisting after repeated failure, being objective, and clearly communicating discoveries. These skills are critical to most professions.
• You can expand your portfolio and range of project experience. For example, research that involves building systems can give you software development experience, while research that involves UX design can provide you a piece for a UX portfolio.
• You can connect and network with faculty and academic professionals.
• Participating in research is great preparation for graduate school or graduate programs.
• You can contribute to the discovery of new knowledge!
• You can earn academic credit for research by enrolling in INFO 494: Research Studio, INFO 499: Independent Study, or even INFO 493: Research Capstone.
• Some research opportunities may offer a stipend or hourly pay to support you while you do research. For example, faculty can request Research Experience for Undergraduate grants from the National Science Foundation, and fund U.S. citizens and permanent residents to do full-time research in the summer. The NSF also funds many REU Sites, which recruit many undergraduates to do research together over a summer.

How do I get involved in Information School research?

To learn how to get involved in Information School research, visit our guide to finding research opportunities. There you can find information on identifying opportunities, contacting faculty, and different forms of participation.

Additional resources

For additional resources supporting undergraduates in research, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research.