Research In Science and Engineering (RISE) Program
RISE is a 10-week summer research program designed for rising sophomores, juniors, incoming transfers, and seniors which takes place between June 23 - August 29, 2025.
Participants work under the supervision of a faculty mentor on a cutting-edge research project. The program features faculty mentoring, professional development opportunities, immersive experience in the UCR science community, and an undergraduate symposium. Students will complete any relevant laboratory safety training at the beginning of the program.
Through support from generous donors and institutional financial commitments to undergraduate research, the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences pays CNAS undergraduate students in the Learning Communities CNAS Scholars program (continuing students, CNAS Scholars) and the Summer Bridge to Research program (incoming transfer students) a $5,000 stipend for the 10-week program. The linked application is for these programs.
This paid summer undergraduate research opportunity is hosted by CNAS and collaborates with different on-campus partners. These other programs include: Dynamic Genome Summer Scholars, California Alliance for Minority Participation, USDA NIFA Antimicrobial Resistance in Agriculture Program, RCC Bridges to the Baccalaureate [B2B] Program, Digital Agriculture Fellowship, and UCR Faculty NSF Career Grant partnerships. These other programs have their own application processes.
Below are the faculty participating in the 2025 Summer RISE program. Please note that participating faculty will continue to be added throughout December 2024 and January 2025. Browse their research and consider applying below.
The priority submission period begins on Monday, January 6, 2025. The final application deadline is March 16, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and faculty may begin selecting candidates prior to the final application deadline.
For questions, please email RISE Assistant Coordinator, Alexis Acosta.
Faculty Name: Miguel Arratia
Program: Physics
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student).
Coursework Requirements: None
Description: We are building particle detectors for experiments in a future collider called EIC. We do this in UCR, then we travel to accelerator facilities to test them. We also do simulations to compare our data and refine our designs.
Website for Project: Arratia Research Group
Faculty Name: Ana Bahamonde
Program: Chemistry
Maximum Number of Students: 1
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student).
Coursework Requirements: CHEM 8C
Description: Bahamonde lab focuses on designing and investigating asymmetric catalytic reactions and utilizes physical organic tools, data science, organometallic complexes, and visible light enable challenging bond disconnections.
Projects: Understanding light-mediated Ni catalysis using physical organic techniques and data science.
Website for Project: Bahamonde Group
Faculty Name: Andrey Bekker
Program: Geology
Maximum Number of Students: Up to 4
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: Interest in Earth Sciences
Description: Students will prepare sedimentary rock samples for geochemical analyses to constrain evolution of the early Earth and help in operation of stable isotope geochemical laboratory.
Projects: Compile distribution of Fe-silicate minerals through time based on literature search.
Faculty Name: Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran
Program: Entomology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: No
Description: Our summer research project focuses on understanding how growing conditions influence mosquito larval behavior and the ecological implications of these behaviors. Students will investigate how environmental factors such as resource availability, competition, and population density affect larval movement, feeding, and habitat selection. By linking larval behavior to developmental outcomes like size and survival, this project aims to uncover critical connections to mosquito fitness and their role in disease transmission. The findings will enhance our understanding of how environmental stressors shape mosquito populations and the dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases. This project provides hands-on experience in behavioral ecology, experimental design, and data analysis, fostering a deeper appreciation for the complexities of vector biology and public health.
Projects: Our summer research project explores the interplay between larval growing conditions and the development of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. Students will examine how environmental factors such as resource availability, crowding, and temperature influence the physiological traits associated with resistance, including survival under insecticide exposure. By linking these traits to larval development, the project seeks to uncover how stress during early life stages impacts resistance evolution and its ecological consequences. This research has critical implications for understanding mosquito population dynamics and improving vector control strategies. Participants will gain hands-on experience in toxicology, insect behavior, and data interpretation, contributing to the broader fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
Website for Project: KC Mosquito Lab
Faculty Name: Chia-en Chang
Program: Chemistry
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference & open to community college students (8-week program track)
Coursework Requirements: Chem1 series, some physics and math courses
Description: Use deep learning and machine learning (AI) to sample protein conformations and reveal the physical chemistry which lead to protein dynamics and function, and drug-protein binding thermodynamics and kinetics.
Figure shows a drug unbinding from it's protein target and how we use computer simulation and AI to understand drug-protein unbinding free energy landscape.
Website for Project: Chang Group
Faculty Name: Sihem Cheloufi
Program: Biochemistry
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: The project will investigate the role of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in development and disease. ERVs are ancient viral insertions that constitute nearly half of mammalian genomes. These elements can serve as critical assets for gene regulation and evolution or pose risks to the host. Some ERV remnants encode RNA and protein molecules that have been domesticated by host cells. This study will focus on characterizing the expression of these elements in normal and diseased cells and utilizing gene-editing techniques to explore their functions.
Website for Project: Cheloufi Lab
Faculty Name: Steve Choi
Program: Physics
Maximum Number of Students: 4
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student)
Coursework Requirements: Introductory physics series
Description: The primary focus of our research is on understanding the formation and evolution of the universe through developing sensitive instruments for new telescopes to enable more precise measurements.
Projects: The summer research projects will include the development of new tools and infrastructure for testing superconducting detectors for astronomical observations. Other projects include developing new codes to forecast the expected cosmological and astrophysical constraints with our upcoming telescope.
Website for Project: experimentalcosmology.ucr.edu
Faculty Name: Katie Dehesh
Program: Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 3
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: Signaling Networks of Adaptive Responses in Bacteria and Plants
Website for Project: Dehesh Lab
Faculty Name: Ted Garland
Program: Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: Study the behavior, physiology, and/or anatomy of mice that have been selectively bred to run voluntarily on wheels.
Project: High Runner Mice
Website for Project: Garland Lab
Faculty Name: Joseph Genereux
Program: Chemistry
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: Completion of BIOL 5A or BIOL 020
Description: The Genereux laboratory develops mass spectrometry-based technology to interrogate protein misfolding and mistargeting in the cell. A typical project would involve using our technology to identify the cellular proteins that are damaged by an environmental toxicant (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals, pollutants).
Website for Project: Genereux Lab
Faculty Name: Weifeng Gu
Program: Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference & open to community college students (8-week program track)
Coursework Requirements: No
Description: Investigate how PIR-2 regulates gene expression.
Projects:
1) Generate mutants to study PIR-2 functions in intestine
2) Generate mutant to study PIR-2 functions in the neurons both using genetics including CRISPR.
Faculty Name: Andrew Joe
Program: Physics
Maximum Number of Students: 3
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: Introductory Physics series (UCR 40ABC or 41ABC) is strongly preferred
Description: Two-dimensional (2D) materials are a class of materials that can be reduced down to a thickness of a single atomic layer while maintaining exciting electronic and optical properties. Individual layers of different types of materials can be isolated and stacked to create new material heterostructures that can have drastically new properties. The Joe Lab focuses on studying these 2D material heterostructures using electronic transport and optical spectroscopy techniques to discover new physical phenomena. Undergraduates in the lab will have a chance to exfoliate bulk 2D materials (graphite, hBN, TMDs) and learn to assemble these heterostructures. They can also be involved with new lab setup projects - designing measurement equipment and/or python coding measurement software.
Website for Project: The Joe Lab
Faculty Name: Fatemeh Khodadadi
Program: Microbiology & Plant Pathology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: No coursework is required.
Description: The student will be involved in the lab and greenhouse to work on a project focused on lemon rootstock susceptibility, DNA/RNA extraction, fungal isolation etc.
Website for Project: Subtropical Trees Pathology
Faculty Name: Ying-Hsuan Lin
Program: Environmental Sciences
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: No
Description: Our research primarily focuses on understanding the sources, composition, and formation mechanisms of atmospheric aerosols, and how they influence air quality, human health, and the climate system. We utilize advanced analytical instruments and theoretical calculations to characterize chemical processes controlling the composition of atmospheric aerosols, and we investigate human health effects using multi-omics approaches to identify biological perturbations associated with pollutant exposure. Our lab aims to establish a mechanistic understanding of air pollution-induced human health effects and climate impacts.
Projects:
Potential research project 1: Formation and evolution of atmospheric organic aerosols
Potential research project 2: Characterization and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in contaminated environmental matrices.
Potential research project 3: Chemical and toxicological characterizations of e-cigarette vaping emissions.
Potential research project 4: Environmental and health impacts of disposable e-cigarette waste.
Website for Project: Lin's Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology Research Group
Faculty Name: Wei Liu
Program: Geology
Maximum Number of Students: 3
Where: Combination of in person and online connections
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: Our research focuses on the role of ocean in climate change and climate variability.
Website for Project: N/A
Faculty Name: Morris Maduro
Program: Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student).
Coursework Requirements: Biol 020 preferred
Description: The Maduro lab studies how genes expressed in early embryos direct the specification of the gut in the nematode Pristionchus. We are also interested in how developmentally important genes have evolved over time in the genus Caenorhabditis.
Projects: Students will do PCR and gel electrophoresis, microscopy, and imaging.
Website for Project: Maduro Lab
Faculty Name: Allen Mills
Program: Physics
Maximum Number of Students: 4
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student)
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: Students will work with graduate students on experiments with antimatter, measuring positron mobilities in solids, testing to see if positrons fall up or down, and making the first measurement of an antimatter Feshbach resonance.
Faculty Name: Kate Ostevik
Program: Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: No
Description: Our lab has previously demonstrated that some sunflower populations selectively accept pollen, favoring pollen from plants in similar environments for successful fertilization and seed production. We would like to extend this finding to other populations of sunflowers to learn more about how new species evolve. This project involves conducting controlled crosses between plants, germinating seeds, performing DNA extractions, and running PCR analyses.
Website for Project: Ostevik Lab
Faculty Name: Crystal Reynaga
Program: Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 1
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: BIOL 5B or equivalent
Description: The Reynaga Lab investigates questions that lie at the intersection of musculoskeletal physiology and movement mechanics. Work in my lab aims to understand how animal movement can be affected in complex environments, from the whole animal scale to the muscle level. My experimental approaches examine shifts in limb anatomy, the nervous system, and muscle-tendon mechanics to determine what drives changes to locomotor performance. My lab employs an integrative approach using modern physiological and engineering tools, such as electromyography, muscle imaging, biological materials testing, high-speed videography, computer vision, and 3D printing.
Website for Project: Reynaga Lab
Faculty Name: Viji Santhakumar
Program: Neuroscience
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: The interaction between immune signaling and neurons can influence development of neurological disorders. We have recently identified that an innate immune receptor TLR4 can influence birth of new neurons in the adult brain after brain injury. The project will evaluate whether TLR4 signaling in the newborn neurons contributes to their abnormal function after brain injury. Specifically, the project, in collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow, will involve performing behavioral and immunobiological experiments and analysis of genetically modified mice with selective deletion of TLR4 in newborn neurons and specific neuronal subtypes.
Website for Project: Santhakumar Lab
Faculty Name: Marko Spasojevic
Program: Biology
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In person with mostly off campus field work
Student Level: No preference & open to community college students (8-week program track)
Coursework Requirements: N/A
Description: Forests play key roles in biodiversity maintenance and climate regulation. Globally, forests support over half of all described species and provide many valuable ecosystem functions and services such as timber, clear air, clean water, and carbon storage. However, forests worldwide are being threatened by habitat loss, drought, and changing fire regimes, which have all resulted in losses to biodiversity and alterations to key ecosystem functions and services. Understanding and predicting how forests will respond to ongoing and pervasive changes to the environment is critical for biodiversity conservation and for the management and maintenance of ecosystem services. To address this, the Spasojevic Ecology lab at UC-Riverside has established a 4ha Forest Dynamics Plot (FDP). Briefly, within the FDP every free-standing woody stem (live or dead) greater than 1cm in diameter has been identified to species, mapped, measured, and tagged for long term monitoring. In establishing this plot, we have observed that many of the Conifers are dead or dying and that there are few Conifers recruiting into this forest. On the other hand, very few Oaks have died and there are many Oaks recruiting into the forest. These patterns suggest a potential shift in the composition of the forest from a mixed Oak-Conifer Forest to a more Oak dominated system. This change in the composition of the forest can have important ramifications for carbon storage, as Oaks are slower growing than Pines, as well as implications for the rest of the plants and animals that depend on these species. We are seeking students that are interested in plant ecology and climate change who is seeking to gain field experience (spending most of their research time in the field).
Website for Project: Spasojevic Lab
Faculty Name: Shawn Westerdale
Program: Physics
Maximum Number of Students: 4
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: No preference & open to community college students (8-week program track).
Coursework Requirements: Programming experience is preferred but not required.
Description: Dark matter makes up 85% of the mass of all matter in the universe, but the Standard Model of particle physics describes no particles that might account for it -- so far, we only know it exists through its effects on gravity. The group with Shawn Westerdale seeks to understand the nature of dark matter through the method of direct detection: building large detectors deep underground, and looking for very rare events where a dark matter particle might interact with the detector.
Projects: Students will participate in research into dark matter and neutrino detection, with opportunities to participate in data analysis, simulations, and design work for current and future dark matter and neutrino detectors, as well as research and development for future detector technologies.
Website for Project: Dark Matter and Neutrino Lab
Faculty Name: Haofei Zhang
Program: Chemistry
Maximum Number of Students: 2
Where: In-person on campus
Student Level: Rising sophmore or junior (2nd or 3rd year continuing student)
Coursework Requirements: CHEM 1ABC
Description: This summer research project will focus on studying organic aerosol composition and chemistry by using several laboratory analytical instruments. The main goal is to understanding the changes in aerosol functional groups through their lifetime in the atmosphere. The RISE student will assist in analyzing aerosol samples.
Website for Project: Haofei Zhang Research Group