• Are you interested in performing undergraduate research?
  • Want to learn basic research professional skills and earn the Pre-Research Certification from the COS Student Success Center?
  • Would you like to pursue higher education in the biomedical sciences?
  • Would you like to learn how to prepare for both?

The UTSA COS Rising Researchers Pre-Research Training Certification Program is for you!

Trainees receive foundational training critical to the development of young scientific researchers. They learn to identify and apply to summer and year-round training programs. They receive basic training in research professional development, including finding and reading scientific papers, laboratory problem solving, laboratory safety, planning for doctoral training, planning and tracking their accomplishments, and how to seek and obtain a research position in a UTSA laboratory. They also receive peer and faculty mentoring, and early connection to COS research training programs.

Any UTSA COS student in degrees relevant to the biomedical sciences, as well as Math, Chemistry, and Physics if they are interested in biomedical applications of their studies, may apply. Second-semester freshmen are particularly invited to apply, but this program serves students of all levels, with preference given to those who have a year remaining prior to graduation.

The program holds weekly meetings that will last one hour and 15 minutes. All trainees must commit to attending these meetings and to graduating from UTSA.

The program is sponsored by the COS and the course materials originate from our highly successful MARC Research Training Program. Peer mentors and doctoral co-instructors are training faculty and trainees of RISE, MARC, and other training programs.

Online Application

Application Closed

The online application does not require a letter of recommendation or a personal statement. On the application there are independent questions that together comprise a personal statement. We recommend that you think about the following:

  • Advanced degrees might you like to pursue?
  • Your future career path.
  • Any research that you might have had.
  • How the RR program may help you.
  • An example of when you demonstrated great persistence.
  • Other relevant information- diversity, challenges, your match to the program, etc.

Thank you for considering the UTSA COS Rising Researchers Pre-Research Training Certification Program.

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The UTSA COS Rising Researchers Pre-Research Training Certification Program is one of the training programs in the UTSA Research Initiatives for Scientific Equity (RISE) Office. See UTSA RISE Office for details about the programs.