Undergraduate students have the opportunity to conduct research with faculty on a range of topics. Below are faculty members who are currently accepting undergraduate students for research work.
This list was updated on March 18, 2025.
- Dr. Dmitriy Babichenko, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems
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Contact: dmb72@pitt.edu, https://www.sci.pitt.edu/people/dmitriy-babichenko
Keywords: learning technologies, games, augmented reality, virtual reality, cultural preservation
Students can expect: Developing VR environments for cultural preservation, games (game-based learning) tools for education, human-computer interaction/usability studies related to a wide variety of user interfaces.
Requirements:
- Programming requirements:
- Python,
- Unity3D / C#.
- Experience with interviewing people. Research study design.
- There are no course-based prerequisites and even the skills that are listed can be learned on the job by highly motivated students.
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Reach out to Dmitriy Babichenko (dmb72@pitt.edu).
- Programming requirements:
- Dr. Raquel Coelho, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems
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Contact: rcoelho@pitt.edu
Keywords: applied AI and NLP in education; quantum information science education; nlp literacy
Students can expect:
- To contribute to the development of quantum information science curriculum that incorporates analogical game prototyping for high school students
- To engage in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, as well as computational analysis using NLP/ML
Requirements:
- Autonomy, initiative, and a disposition to learn by doing are key.
While not requirements, the following are all pluses:
- experience conducting interviews
- qualitative, quantitative, or computational analysis
- interest in emerging technologies and learning
- engagement with high school students
- interest in exploring board game prototyping to support learning
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If Interested: Please complete the prospective student form on my webpage, coelhoraquel.com.
- Dr. Na Du, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, HAT Lab
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Contact: na.du@pitt.edu, https://nadu-pitt.github.io/
Keywords: human factors in smart cities, human behavior modeling, human-centered design, automated vehicles, privacy and cybersecurity
Students can expect: Projects are always available for students with backgrounds or interests in any of the following areas: human factors/human-computer interaction, intelligent transportation systems, applied data science and machine learning, or UX research/design.
Requirements:
- Strong and self-motivated candidates with ANY of the following qualifications would be particularly encouraged to apply:
- prior experience in studying human factors/human-computer interaction;
- knowledge in applied data science and machine learning;
- skills in programming and developing AR/VR/simulator applications;
- interdisciplinary research backgrounds (design, engineering, psychology, etc.).
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Juniors, Seniors
If Interested: If you are interested in working with Dr. Du, feel free to contact her via email with the title ‘Prospective Undergraduate Student at Pitt’ and include the following information: (1) your CV; (2) a copy of your transcripts; (3) a brief description of your background and research interests. She will reach out if there is a potential fit and then set up a meeting for discussion.
- Strong and self-motivated candidates with ANY of the following qualifications would be particularly encouraged to apply:
- Dr. Rosta Farzan, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, Sustainable Social Computing Lab
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Contact: rfarzan@pitt.edu, https://ssc-pitt.github.io/
Keywords: social computing, human computer interaction, data literacy, user experience design
Students can expect: Quantitative or qualitative data analysis, software development, conducting user studies and usability studies, working with community members
Requirements:
- Interest in social justice issues;
- Previous experience in either one of these:
- programming,
- working with quantitative or qualitative data,
- engagement in working with high school or middle school students,
- design of web-based applications,
- conducting interviews
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Send an email to Dr. Farzan, set up a meeting to discuss interests and goals, attend a lab meeting to get familiar with the lab and the existing projects. You will most likely then be matched to work with one of her PhD students on a project.
- Dr. Aakash Gautam, Department of Computer Science/Department of Information Culture and Data Stewardship
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Contact: aakash@pitt.edu, https://aakash.xyz/
Keywords: human-computer interaction, community-based design, empowerment, human-centered
Students can expect: Help in building resources for a digital literacy tool aimed at supporting formerly incarcerated individuals. Contribute to the development of a React-based web application to be deployed at a non-profit organization.
Requirements: None listed
Positions: for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Reach out to me (aakash@pitt.edu). Mention your interest clearly in the email and suggest a few time slots when you can meet with me over Zoom.
- Dr. Sherif Khattab, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: ksm73@pitt.edu
Keywords: Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Computer Science Education, Internet of Things, and AI/ML applications.
Students can expect: Undergraduates engage in hands-on projects that explore the systems aspects of cybersecurity, focusing on applications in cloud computing and the Internet of Things. Additionally, students interested in interactive animations can work on designing and optimizing real-time, responsive visualizations that enhance user engagement and understanding in educational and security-related applications.
Requirements: Undergraduates interested in joining my research should be majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, with a strong foundation in programming, data structures, and computer systems. Preferred skills include experience with Linux, cybersecurity, cloud computing, or interactive graphics, though prior research experience is not required. Motivated students with a passion for problem-solving and learning are encouraged to apply.
Positions: for credit
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Undergraduate students interested in research with me should start by reviewing my research areas and recent publications. Then, they should email me their resume, relevant coursework or projects, and a brief statement explaining their interest in my lab. Finally, they should schedule a meeting with me through the booking page on my website https://people.cs.pitt.edu/~skhattab/ to discuss potential research opportunities.
- Dr. Adriana Kovashka, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: kovashka@cs.pitt.edu
Keywords: computer vision, vision and language
Students can expect: My lab focuses on examining how objects may appear differently, and be captioned differently, in different cultures/settings; how text-to-image generation methods can produce more creative and persuasive outputs, and how they capture spatial relations; how vision-language models can provide feedback to people performing sports activities; and how modalities beyond vision and language can provide additional information for vision tasks.
Requirements:
- Previous experience with artificial intelligence/machine learning, through courses or projects
- Strong initiative-taking
- Motivation to read papers from recent conferences
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Skim recent papers on my website, identify which ones seem most interesting and why, send me an email with this info and your background in AI.
- Dr. Prashant Krishnamurthy, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems
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Contact: prashk@pitt.edu
Keywords: radio spectrum, 5G/6G networks, quantum networks, cybersecurity, governance
Students can expect: Work is currently being done on radio spectrum and quantum networking areas. There are research questions of technical importance, but also those related to national security and governance issues. Most projects will need reading, modeling, mathematical analysis, and simulations. Students can start with reading and presenting, then do some simulations and analytical modeling over time.
Requirements: self-motivated candidates, must be good in mathematics (calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics) and preferably physics (E&M), programming in Matlab, R, Python preferred, ability to read technical documents and papers
Positions: for credit, volunteer
Looking for: First-Year Students, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Please contact Dr. Krishnamurthy via email or on Teams with subject 'undergraduate research'. Include your CV, relevant classes taken with grades, and a brief description of your background and research interests. He will respond if there is a potential fit.
- Dr. Alison Langmead, Department of Information Culture & Data Stewardship and Department of History of Art and Architecture
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Contact: adlangmead@pitt.edu
Keywords: digital humanities; information studies; art history; science and technology studies; cultural heritage informatics
Students can expect: The Visual Media Workshop is a humanities lab focused on the investigation of material and visual culture, whether historical or contemporary, in an environment that encourages technological experimentation. This unique pedagogical workspace facilitates collaborative undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research, and is a forum for exploring real-world questions focused on human experiences, using digital technologies.
Requirements:
Positions: for credit
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Email with your interests.
- Dr. Yu-Ru Lin, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, PICSO Lab
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Contact: yurulin@pitt.edu, https://picsolab.github.io/
Keywords: computational social science, social networks & social media, cyber-social influence, ethical and accountable AI, digital accountability
Students can expect: The research project is interdisciplinary and requires students with different skill sets. Students with strong communication skills but little programming experience can contribute to research on social media narrative or discourse analysis, which helps ensure the safety and accountability of digital communication systems. Students with programming experience in frontend or backend tools can help develop ethical and accountable AI systems, helping to shape the future of AI.
Requirements: The research project requires students with diverse skill sets since it is interdisciplinary. There are three roles available for students to assist with:
- Analyzing social media content and information spreading: We are seeking students who possess advanced English proficiency, capable of articulate and nuanced communication, both orally and in writing. Interest in social justice issues and experience with social media platforms are desirable. Programming expertise is not a prerequisite for this role. However, students with an interest or experience in narrative or discourse analysis, cultural identity, and group conflicts will be given preferential consideration.
- Building ethical and accountable AI systems: For this role, students with programming experience in frontend tools (e.g., React/JavaScript, d3) or backend tools (e.g., Django/Flask), as well as familiarity with data pre-processing and data mining packages, and data scraping tools to interact with RESTful APIs are preferred.
- . Conducting Qualitative Studies on User Interaction with AI Systems: We are looking for students to help conduct qualitative research with users engaging with AI systems to establish design requirements for ethical and accountable AI development. Ideal candidates should have experience with or a strong interest in user research, human-computer interaction (HCI), or qualitative methodologies such as interviews, surveys, and thematic analysis. A background in social sciences, design, or UX research is beneficial, though not required. Strong communication and analytical skills are essential for this role
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Please fill out this application form and we will contact you if there is a fit.
- Dr. Diane Litman, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: dlitman@pitt.edu, https://people.cs.pitt.edu/~litman/
Keywords: artificial intelligence for education, AI, natural language processing
Students can expect: Leverage and advance natural language processing (NLP) software to support development of educational technologies such as an automated writing evaluation system.
Requirements: Must have taken or be currently enrolled in a class in natural language processing or machine learning, and/or have equivalent expertise and programming skills.
Positions: for credit, sometimes for pay, volunteer
Looking for: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Please email Prof. Litman with (1) a resume, (2) a transcript, and (3) details indicating how you match the requirements. If there is both a match and availability, you will be contacted about the next steps.
- Dr. Daniel Mosse, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: mosse@pitt.edu
Keywords: IOT education power management memory management
Students can expect: Students with no experience will help with data collection and datasets, as well as documentation students with little experience can do the above tasks, plus help with running experiments, debugging, collecting results, and generating graphs. Students with experience can do the above tasks, in addition to developing algorithms, analyzing results, and creating new paradigms.
Requirements:
- Have at least 7+ hours weekly to dedicate to the research project, except for midterm crunch time
- BE INTERESTED in the project
- Be a self-directed person that can discover how to search and make progress on issues
Positions: for pay, for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Send me a request and type of project/area that is interesting to you. If I do not reply within a week, send another message. Talk to students who have worked with me before, to see if my style fits you, AND talk to me, to see if my style fits you.
- Dr. Nils Murrugarra-Llerena, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: nem177@pitt.edu
Keywords: Multimodal Learning Computer Vision Natural Language Processing Deep Learning Machine Learning
Students can expect: I value students with a good GPA, motivated to learn more about AI, and self-learners (of course, I am happy to advise and provide feedback).
Requirements:
- Desired Major: Computer Science or related ones
- Courses: At least one of the following Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning or Machine Learning
Positions: for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Send me an email to nem177@pitt.edu with the title "Interest in Undergrad Research" with your transcript, and why you want to do undergrad research.
- Dr. Ryan Shi, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: ryanshi@pitt.edu, https://ryanzshi.github.io/
Keywords: AI for social good, machine learning, language models, multi-agent system, sequential decision making
Students can expect: Our lab collaborates with multiple external stakeholders to develop AI algorithms to address societal challenges in food security, environmental conservation, healthcare, and poverty reduction. We plan to recruit 5-10 undergraduate students to carry out a wide range of research projects. Many of the projects are well-defined in scope, but we also welcome more exploratory projects if the interests align. The technical tools used in our lab include large language models, multi-agent system, deep learning, multi-armed bandit, and reinforcement learning. Knowledge in at least one of these topics is useful.
Requirements:
- A keen interest in working on AI problems to address societal challenges.
- A first course in AI/ML.
- Mathematical maturity.
- Proficient in programming.
- Willingness to work with external (non-tech) stakeholders to understand their needs and deploy AI algorithms.
Positions: for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Please apply here: https://forms.gle/GyMTv6WWVQBb2pjJA
- Dr. Angela Stewart, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems
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Contact: angelas@pitt.edu, www.angelaebstewart.com
Keywords: equity in STEM education, HCI, social computing, social robots
Students can expect: I have a variety of positions open for undergraduates, including creation of computing education and AI curricula, design of dialogue for social robots, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, data cleaning and processing. Precisely what you work on will be decided in a collaborative conversation between us. I am specifically looking for students with UX/UI design experience to run user studies and prototype an application.
Requirements: I am open to students with a variety of skills and backgrounds. My only requirement is time to participate (at least 10 hours/week), and interest in my research projects.
Positions: for pay, for credit
Looking for: First-year students, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Email me with a description of what you are interested in as it relates to my work.
- Dr. Nadine von Frankenberg, Department of Computer Science
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Contact: vonfrankenberg@pitt.edu
Keywords: Ubiquitous computing, human-computer interaction, Digital health Educational research
Students can expect: Undergraduates in my lab will work on designing and developing interactive systems that address real-world challenges in ubiquitous computing, digital health, and educational research. Projects may involve building and evaluating technologies for the built environment, improving human-computer interaction, or exploring novel ways to enhance digital health interventions. Students will gain hands-on experience in system development, data collection, and user-centered design.
Requirements:
- Course Prerequisites
- Preferred but not required: Introductory Programming (e.g., Java, Python, or similar)
- Helpful but not mandatory: Software Engineering or Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Data Structures & Algorithms/Databases
- Other expectations:
- Interest in solving real-world problems through technology
- Willingness to learn, collaborate, and contribute to research discussions
Positions: for credit, volunteer
Looking for: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Undergraduate students interested in my research should email me with a brief introduction, their resume, relevant coursework or experience, and a short explanation of why they are interested in joining, and (optional) what kind of technology/field/etc. they would love to work with. If there is a good fit, we will schedule a meeting to discuss potential research opportunities and next steps.
- Course Prerequisites
- Dr. Erin Walker, Department of Computer Science, FACETLab
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Contact: eawalker@pitt.edu, https://www.facetlab.pitt.edu/
Keywords: educational technology, artificial intelligence, social robotics, collaborative learning, culturally-responsive design
Students can expect: Many students in my lab do web development, UX design, design of AI models, machine learning, and educational data mining. Students can also design and run studies, do qualitative or quantitative data analysis, and do curriculum design.
Requirements: Just an interest in intelligent educational technologies or human-computer interaction. We meet students where they are.
Positions: for pay
Looking for: First-year students, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Feel free to send me an email describing your interest in research and attach your resume. I will then reach out to you to let you know if there is current availability in the lab and to schedule a meeting to discuss further.
- Dr. Shandong Wu, Department of Radiology, Center for Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Medical Imaging
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Contact: wus3@upmc.edu, https://www.aimi.pitt.edu/people/leadership
Keywords: medical imaging, radiology, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, translational research
Students can expect: Students with strong machine/deep learning and/or computer vision backgrounds and interested to study how these computational techniques can be developed and implemented for medical imaging (radiological)- based applications (risk assessment, screening, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment evaluation, etc.).
Requirements:
- Coding for machine/deep learning,
- Experience with medical imaging data preferred but not required.
- Computer vision experience will be a plus.
Positions: volunteer
Looking for: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
If interested: Send a copy of your CV to wus3@upmc.edu. Also include a statement in your email about: (1) how many hours you can work per week; (2) your motivation for doing research; (3) your specific experiences/courses in computer vision, medical (imaging) data, machine learning, if any
If you are a faculty member accepting undergraduate students research, please fill out the form below to have your research added to this page: