Undergraduate Students

The Center for Neural Interfaces is constantly working with undergraduate students from the University of Utah and other Utah schools.  Undergraduate researchers who work in the lab design and run experiments, present at conferences, and write scientific papers, all while learning useful skills and participating in exciting scientific research.  Their contributions are instrumental to the Center’s overarching research aims.  Several lab members are certified undergraduate mentors through the Office of Undergraduate Research, and have mentored undergraduate students while working on UROP and thesis projects.  Students with education in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, computer science, and more have all succeeded in performing amazing research in the Center for Neural Interfaces.

Motivated students of all ethnicities, genders, orientations, and identities are welcome and encouraged to apply.  We are grateful for the diverse and talented students that have worked with and are working with the Center for Neural Interfaces.  We are committed to providing a safe, welcoming space for students of all backgrounds to work and learn collaboratively.

There are a variety of projects that could potentially be undertaken by an undergraduate provided that there is a graduate mentor available; the prospective undergraduate has reasonable background experience; and the graduate/undergraduate pairing is an appropriate fit. If you are interested in working with us, contact Greg Clark (greg.clark@utah.edu) and CC Jacob George (jacob.george@utah.edu). Items to include in your email:

• Specific email subject line: “Prospective Undergraduate Student”
• Brief cover letter detailing your past work related to one of the topics mentioned below OR a specific project you are interested in
• Resume

Although a prospective undergraduate is not expected to have all of the background knowledge necessary for a given project, some related experience is recommended. Generally useful subjects include the following:

• Programming in languages such as Matlab, Python, C, LabVIEW, etc.
• Signal processing/data analysis
• Physical computing with Arduino or Raspberry Pi
• Computer-aided design and 3D printing (e.g. Solidworks)
• Circuit development and prototyping

Graduate Students

We are always looking for high-performing graduate students with a wide range of skills. To be considered for a position in the CNI, you must first be accepted to the University of Utah in a relevant department, including Bioengineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Neuroscience. For details on the application process for the Department of Bioengineering, visit our departmental website provided on the Links tab, and, in particular, the Neural Interfaces track.  Depending on the offer made by the University, accepted students may be able to perform a rotation in research labs to find a suitable mentor.  Prospective students are encouraged to reach out to current graduate students for finding out what research in our lab is like.