Share the News: PCUR is Hiring!

Group photo including Alexis Wu, Rebecca Cho, Yubi Mamiya, Angel Toasakul, Stanley Stoutamire, Jr., Virginia Cobbs, Nathan Nguyen, Gabriel Ascoli, Advik Eswaran, Ignacio Arias Philipi.
Many of our current PCURs at last fall’s first group meeting. Photo credit: Nicole Tacconi.

PCUR is paused during spring break, but when you’re not reading posts you might have missed during the busyness of the semester, consider applying to be a correspondent next year (or sharing the call with students you know that might be interested)!

Correspondents promote a culture of research and scholarship among undergraduates, support students through all stages of research, demystify the research process, and empower more students to get involved! We’re especially looking for students interested in writing on Engineering topics or Social Sciences topics (though all eligible are welcome to apply).

Why should I apply?

  • Help out your peers: There’s a lot of research possibilities out there! Be a voice to guide your peers toward exciting, meaningful learning opportunities. 
  • Communication development: Reflect on your research experiences and goals, practice writing for a non-specialist audience, consider how to match an exciting visual to your text, and strategize how to increase reader engagement. 
  • Networking: Connect with peers from other disciplines and class years, conduct interviews with researchers across campus, learn about programs and events designed to support research growth!
  • Flexibility: Largely remote, a lot of flexibility in hours, and one monthly on-campus meeting during the academic year (snacks included!)
  • $$$: The position pays $18.50/hour.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • First-years, sophomores, and juniors
  • ANY division, ANY concentration
  • Students passionate about research + sharing their experiences

What do I need to apply?

You can apply through Student Employment at this direct link

  • Cover letter: Introduce yourself and describe your research path (we don’t expect that all applicants will have had intensive research experiences!)
  • A sample post of 400-700 words (check out the site to get started!)
  • A copy of your resume 

When should I apply by?

  • We will review applications on a rolling basis, but highly encourage you to apply by March 17. You are still welcome to apply after that date.

Any questions? Reach out to Chief Correspondent, Rebecca Cho and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research, Caitlin Larracey. We hope to review your application soon!

–Caitlin Larracey, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research

Welcome Our New Chief Correspondent!

Picture features Rebecca wearing 2026 sweater posing with large sign that say "GEO" on canon green behind nassau hall.

Rebecca posing with GEO department sign on declaration day

I have had a great experience being the Chief Correspondent for PCUR for the last two years, but as my time at Princeton comes to close, I am excited to pass the torch to Rebecca Cho! Rebecca has been an outstanding Natural Sciences correspondent for PCUR for the past year and a half writing about everything from poster making to interviews about the Ph.D. student experience.

Continue reading Welcome Our New Chief Correspondent!

Harmonizing Research and A Cappella: How Music Fuels My Scientific Journey

Photo of the members of the Princeton Footnotes in the year 2024-2025, taken at Rocky courtyard
Photo of the Footnotes, Princeton’s fresh low-voice a cappella group founded in 1959

Imagine standing in front of a big audience, heart racing, ready to blend your voice with others and hit the notes of an intricate a cappella arrangement. Every beat, every breath, is crucial. Every time I stand on stage or under an arch with my a cappella group, the Princeton Footnotes, I think of how similar singing and music feels to what I do in the lab. You might be thinking that singing in an a cappella group and doing research are worlds apart. However, these two passions have formed a bond in ways that I never believed possible. In fact, the creativity, collaboration, and discipline I have channeled in being a part of the Footnotes have made me a better researcher—and vice versa. 

Continue reading Harmonizing Research and A Cappella: How Music Fuels My Scientific Journey

A Hidden Gem for Humanities Researchers: The Princeton Index of Medieval Art

Picture of a filing cabinet
The Princeton Index of Medieval Art used to be a physical register, much like this one.

Many academic disciplines engage with visual art, whether from the standpoint of art history, material culture, or even paleography. The Princeton Index of Medieval Art is a unique database well-suited to the needs of researchers across various fields. Whether history, comparative literature, art, or classics, the index gathers a vast amount of information on Late Antique and Medieval Artworks, neatly sorted in an accessible way.

Continue reading A Hidden Gem for Humanities Researchers: The Princeton Index of Medieval Art

Research Communication and Community: Reflecting on the Princeton Correspondents for Undergraduate Research

Melissa Parnagian; Stacey Huang; Alec Getraer

Each month in the Office of Undergraduate Research newsletter, we highlight recent posts by Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research (PCUR) authors. This month, we are looking back on ten years of PCUR as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of OUR.

PCUR began the same year as OUR – with the first posts published in September 2014. We invited PCUR alums to share their perspective on their time as a correspondent, including two who were part of the very first PCUR cohort. Read on to learn about how PCUR serves individual correspondents and the larger Princeton community alike, and if this all sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, Princeton first-years through juniors are encouraged to apply here to join PCUR next fall. 

Continue reading Research Communication and Community: Reflecting on the Princeton Correspondents for Undergraduate Research

Welcome to the 2023-2024 Academic Year

Welcome back to PCUR! We are very excited to welcome back several correspondents from last year and introduce the new correspondents joining us! Posts will start up this week, so check your email Wednesday morning for the first post of the academic year.

Depicts PCUR logo and headshots of the correspondents introduced on the page.
Top, Virginia Cobbs. Middle, from left to right: Rebecca Cho, Amaya Dressler, Xander Jenkin, and Yubi Mamiya. Bottom, from left to right: Shane Patrick, Kate Weseley-Jones, Alexis Wu, and Shannon Yeow

I have the pleasure of welcoming back PCURs Amaya Dressler ’25 (Amaya is abroad this semester so she’ll be back posting in the spring), Kate Weseley-Jones ’25, and Alexis Wu ’25 and introducing new members Rebecca Cho ’26, Xander Jenkin ’25, Yubi Mamiya ’26, and Shane Patrick ’24, and Shannon Yeow ’26. We’re also very grateful that Virginia Cobbs ’25, joins us again as the Chief Correspondent! I welcome you to engage with their perspectives on and experiences with research. You can learn a little more about each correspondent below and stay tuned for PCUR posts this week.

Continue reading Welcome to the 2023-2024 Academic Year

Why You Should Join PCUR!

PCUR logo, then six images of PCUR Correspondents
Top (from left to right): Ryan Champeau, Virginia Cobbs, Amaya Dressler; Bottom (from left to right): Agnes Robang, Kate Weseley-Jones, Alexis Wu

Want a great way to connect with the Princeton research community, meet new friends, and earn some money along the way? Join PCUR! If you’re reading this article, chances are you would be perfect for the job, but don’t hesitate to share this post with folks you think might be interested!

Continue reading Why You Should Join PCUR!

New PCUR Content On Pause for Winter

Photo of a tiger made out of snow in front of a brick building with dark ivy.
Not this snowy yet…(photo credit, Brian Wilson)

Greetings, all! We hope you’ve enjoyed the blog over the past semester. Brand new content is temporarily paused until our correspondents return from winter break, but we wanted to invite you to engage with the site during that time and we have a few ways you can do so below!

Continue reading New PCUR Content On Pause for Winter

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Academic Year!

Welcome back to PCUR! We’re excited to begin posting for the 2022-2023 academic year. I’ll introduce myself briefly – my name is Caitlin Larracey and I recently joined Princeton as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research. I was heavily involved in undergraduate research as an English/History major, collaborated with undergraduate researchers on my writing studies dissertation, and most recently served as the postdoctoral fellow in program design and student mentoring at Johns Hopkins University. I’m so excited to say that one of my primary responsibilities as OUR’s assistant director at Princeton is serving as the administrative lead for PCUR.

Image depicts six women (PCUR 22-23) in front of a gray brick building with bright green ivy
From left to right: Mahya Fazel-Zarandi, Ryan Champeau, Amaya Dressler, Virginia Cobbs, Kate Weseley-Jones, and Alexis Wu

I have the pleasure of welcoming back PCUR Ryan Champeau ’23 and introducing new members Virginia Cobbs ’25, Amaya Dressler ’25, Mahya Fazel-Zarandi ’25, Kate Weseley-Jones ’25, and Alexis Wu ’25. I welcome you to engage with their perspectives on and experiences with research! You can learn a little more about each correspondent below and stay tuned: PCUR posts will begin this week!

Ryan Champeau ’23

Social Sciences Correspondent

Image depicts young woman with long brown hair kneeling on the grass with her arm around a dog.

Concentration: Princeton School of Public Policy and International Affairs

Degree Program: A.B.

Certificate Programs: Cognitive Science

Research Interests: Public Policy, Decision-Making, Law, Economics

Bio:I’m a senior from New Jersey who likes dogs, photography, and writing! I’m interested in exploring how I can use research to have a positive impact on the Princeton community and beyond. Within SPIA, I have conducted research on mass incarceration, public opinion, social movements, and more. On campus, I am a Residential College Advisor, former Chair of the Whitman College Council, Scholar of Finance, Club Golf member, Community Action leader, and Co-Chair of the ’23 Class Day Committee. I’m also really enthusiastic and love to rap!

Recent posts by Ryan Champeau

Virginia Cobbs ’25

Natural Sciences Correspondent

Photo depicts woman smiling at camera with light red hair, wearing a gray Princeton t-shirt and standing in front of a tree.

Concentration: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Degree: A.B.

Research Interests: Bumble Bee social behavior, Parkinson’s Disease, Medical Racism

Bio: My name is Virginia and I am a sophomore majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary biology. I grew up in Birmingham, AL (roll tide!) and before coming to Princeton, I spent a year researching Parkinson’s Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I am now researching Bumble bees in the lab of Prof. Sarah Kocher here at Princeton, and I also work with Prof. Fuentes in the Anthropology dept studying racial bias in medical algorithms. When not in the lab I enjoy reading, biking, and sailing.

Amaya Dressler ’25

Social Sciences Correspondent

Image depicts a woman staring and smiling at camera with light blonde hair and a light pink t-shirt.

Concentration: Psychology or Anthropology 

Degree Program: A.B.

Certificate Programs: Humanistic Studies, Global Health and Health Policy

Research Interests: Menstrual Health and Dysfunction, Endocrinology, Cognitive Science, Nutrition, Medical Institutions and Health Disparity

Bio: I am a sophomore from Littlestown, PA. As a pre med student looking to concentrate in either Psychology or Anthropology, my research interests extend broadly across women’s health and healthcare reform. Outside of research, I can be found writing for Nassau Weekly or working with the PACE center as a CA fellow, and I am always happy to chat! I am usually hanging out either reading in Butler Library or dancing in one of the campus’s open studios. 

Mahya Fazel-Zarandi ’25

Natural Sciences Correspondent

Photo depicts a woman with black glasses, smiling at camera wearing a white headscarf and light top.

Concentration: Molecular Biology 

Degree Program: A.B.

Certificate Program(s): Quantitative and Computational Biology, Applications of Computing 

Research Interests: Computational biology, Genetics and genetic engineering, Biological chemistry

Bio: I am a sophomore from Toronto, Canada, majoring in molecular biology. I am interested in the intersection of biology and computer science and its application in the field of genetics. Outside of my classes and research, I write for the Daily Princetonian, listen to classical music, and play my Persian instrument, santoor. 

Kate Weseley-Jones ’25

Humanities Correspondent

Image depicts a woman smiling at the camera. She has long blonde hair, a dark blue top, and is standing in front of a white wall.

Concentration: Art History

Degree Program: A.B.

Research interests: ancient art, heritage conservation, behavioral science, gender studies

Bio: Hi, my name is Kate and I’m a sophomore from Long Island, NY! I’m planning to pursue a degree in art history, but I’m interested in most things that fall in the overlap between the humanities and social sciences. When I’m not hunched over a book, you can find me on campus playing the cello or practicing new tricks with the Aerial Arts Club.

Alexis Wu ’25

Engineering Correspondent

Image depicts a young woman smiling at the camera. She has medium-length dark brown hair, is wearing a bright red top, and the sun is shining behind her.

Concentration: Computer Science

Degree Program: B.S.E.

Research Interests: Applications of computing, educational technology, human-computer interaction, computer-aided design, art history

Bio: I am a sophomore from San Diego, CA, majoring in computer science. I am interested in the wide range of computer science applications, particularly in other engineering fields, history, and the arts. On campus, I am also a student tour guide for the Princeton University Art Museum and a mentor with Community House Big Sibs.

Interested in Joining PCUR? Apply Now!

This year’s Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research team has been working hard to share their research experiences and to highlight the incredible discoveries that are being made in labs and groups across campus. We’ve covered topics from summer internships, to independent work, to navigating research and life during the pandemic. As the end of the school year quickly approaches, we’re looking for new correspondents to apply and join our team! Curious to learn about what it takes to be a member of PCUR? Keep reading to find out!

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research
Apply to join fellow undergraduate researchers who love to write and share their experiences!
Continue reading Interested in Joining PCUR? Apply Now!