UNF: Undergraduate Research

Welcome to the Office of Undergraduate Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research (O.U.R.) at the University of North Florida (UNF) is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or email us anytime at OUR@unf.edu.

The O.U.R. provides services and support to UNF undergraduates who are interested in conducting research or creative research projects in any discipline and across all colleges, departments, and majors. Studies and experience show that actively engaging in undergraduate research or special projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor will expand your intellect, strengthen your resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and enhance your marketable skills.

O.U.R. SPRING 2025 EVENTS

Congratulations to the May Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Carolina De Bovi Pontes!

Carolina standing in front of a photo backdrop and smiling. Carolina De Bovi Pontes, a senior majoring in chemistry, works with Dr. Grzegorz (Greg) Ciesielski from the UNF Department of Biology. Her current work with Dr. Ciesielski focuses on mitochondrial DNA, particularly the complex interactions between DNA polymerases gamma and beta. She has presented their work at multiple conferences, including the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) which was held this spring in Chicago, Illinois, and on-campus symposia, including the Natural Sciences Symposium, the 2024 Advancements in Research, Inquiry, and Scholarship Exhibition (ARISE), and the 2024 Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS). During her undergraduate career, Carolina has also co-authored two papers, one published in Frontiers in Genetics and the other in Genetics and Molecular Biology. After graduating this spring, Carolina will pursue a PhD in biomedical sciences, with a focus in biochemistry and molecular biology, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. When reflecting on her research journey, Carolina states that participating in research for several years has allowed her to become more independent in the lab, confident running experiments, and skilled in explaining both experiments and the theory behind them.

Carolina’s advice for students interested in research is to start as early as possible and to find a lab where you feel supported. “Research requires a lot of hard work, but the effort you invest will directly reflect in your growth and achievements.”

The 2025 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year

Jackie Meier standing and smiling with her students in front of a photo backdrop. Congratulations to Dr. Jacqueline Meier, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Florida, on being named the SOARS 2025 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year! One of Dr. Meier’s students who nominated her wrote, “Dr. Meier’s mentorship has profoundly shaped my academic and professional journey … She has impacted many students through both her courses and her research lab, doing everything in her power to help her students succeed. Because of her, I have found a field of research that I wish to engage with for the rest of my career.”

Dr. Meier’s award was presented as part of the 2025 Showcase of Osprey Achievements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS), which was held on Friday, April 11 in the John A. Delaney Student Union.

Congratulations, Dr. Jacqueline Meier, on this well-deserved honor and achievement!