Research mentorship program
Our Research Mentorship Program provides UC Santa Barbara undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to engage deeply in high-impact, scientific research. We offer more than a training experience. This program asks students to grow into research leaders.
They define and refine research questions, design analytical approaches, and carry their work through to peer-reviewed publication. We combine rigorous methods with real-world challenges. What we end up with are: young experts who hold technical skills and can translate science into meaningful solutions.
Objectives
The Mentorship Program is designed to:
Develop students’ ability to address real and complex problems through science
Strengthen technical and quantitative research skills
Foster high standards of scientific rigor and analytical precision
Cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities
Train professionals oriented toward evidence-based decision-making
Prepare students to contribute meaningfully to interdisciplinary and applied research environments
Activities
Students are actively engaged in all stages of the scientific process, including:
Conducting comprehensive literature reviews to build strong theoretical foundations
Designing research frameworks and conceptual models
Developing and implementing advanced analytical and quantitative models
Performing complex data analyses
Writing, submitting, and publishing scientific manuscripts in high-impact journals
This structure ensures that students gain hands-on experience with the full research lifecycle instead of isolated roles.
Program Structure
Research is conducted in small teams of 2 to 4 students, fostering collaboration and shared leadership. Each team leads an independent project aligned with the broader goals of the initiative.
Work follows a quarterly cycle, with clearly defined milestones from research design to analysis and manuscript preparation. Regular meetings and feedback sessions ensure consistent progress and scientific rigor. Students may remain in the program throughout their undergraduate or graduate studies, allowing projects to grow in depth and complexity over time.
Teams are closely mentored by the project’s core leadership, led by Principal Investigators Ashley Larsen and Patrick Roerhdanz. Mentorship includes scientific guidance, methodological support, feedback on manuscripts, and professional development—ensuring both intellectual independence and sustained expert support.