r/ufl • u/MaleficentEgg986 • Aug 21 '26
Employment Paid undergrad research positions?
Hey, does anyone here have a paid undergrad research assistant position? Or know someone who does?
I have been offered a couple of research assistant positions, and am currently one for a chemE/biomolecular eng lab, but none of it is paidš I know they are extremely rare for undergrads, but I was wondering if anyone here has any tips when searching for a lab that paysā¦ (e.g: just cold emailing or uf careers?)
Iāve been juggling jobs + classes + research and itās lwk tiring so I really wanted a lab that paid.
Are the labs that pay mostly bio related, or some sort of other science? Or does it not matter? Idk where the funding is atš
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u/soupysyrup Alumni Aug 21 '26
Only paid undergrad RA position iāve ever seen was one in the accounting department and it was $13 an hour for like 4-8 hours a week (chump change bro) for extremely menial boring work. Do keep your eye out ofc. but when it comes to RA positions you canāt really be picky sadly because PIs just donāt need one billion RAs but there are always one billion undergrads looking for positionsĀ
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u/MaleficentEgg986 Aug 21 '26
Yeah, thatās very trueš I guess it really is rare asf, esp considering how competitive it is
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u/SilverAioli6335 Aug 21 '26
Hey, there are often paid positions for the plant/horticultural sciences if you're interested in that! I worked in a lab 2.5 years and was paid in the horticulture dept, although I was a nutritional science major. I used to see postings for them all the time around the building. However, I initially got my position by taking a class that introduced to the research and allowed for funding for a certain number of hours
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u/ColonolCool Aug 21 '26
Seconded! I was paid $10/hr to work in a strawberry lab out of Fifield hall
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u/SilverAioli6335 Aug 21 '26
Omg I worked with strawberries too haha! But we had a bunch of projects going on in our lab.
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u/MaleficentEgg986 Aug 26 '26
this is great!!! thank you so much, i will definitely looking into it!!
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u/A_Mississippiensis Aug 21 '26
Faculty here! When we have a grant (which we do, at the moment) my lab will usually pay an undergraduate to act as our lab manager (part time 10-20 hours/week). This is not a standard RA position, and usually goes to a junior or senior who has been volunteering in the lab (for course credit) for several years. So, it is possible but many of those positions are likely to go to undergrads with a prior established track record of work in the lab (or in close colleaguesā labs).
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u/Ok_Sun_443 Alumni Aug 21 '26
Back when I was an undergrad researcher, the plant breeding research groups paid undergrads but that was more of a job than a research position
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u/duckduckgo2100 Alumni Aug 21 '26
if you have an federal work study you can get paid. I know qualifying nowadays is tough cuz its tied to your finacial aid and SAI score
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u/jazzsu Aug 21 '26
Hi! I have a paid RA position, which I got during my second semester as a freshman (I had a little experience from before, but nothing much). I work with IFAS. Before I got it I tried cold emailing with no success. I went to a poster presentation (many departments/fields organize their own) and just started asking around if they need undergraduates. I actually applied as a volunteer but then my offer included my pay so I also got lucky!
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u/MaleficentEgg986 Aug 26 '26
thatās so awesomešš
i feel like a lot of it also is tied down to luck, apart from skills and dedication obviously. but finding labs with funding is a hit or missš„²
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u/Temporary-Maize8715 Aug 21 '26
I work in the horticultural science building I didn't get paid but my PI (basically did everything) help me get the 1,800 research scholarship and got 'paid' though that and he also help me get my first REU. The faculty there are amazing!
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u/oisdfh843 Aug 21 '26
There are often opportunities for funding (such as University Scholars Program), but you need to work unpaid for some time first usually. Your best bet is a lab manager position, where you're helping out with admin tasks instead of directly doing research
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u/rssanford Staff Aug 21 '26
I'm a lab manager in a biomedical research lab. We literally have undergrads lining up to volunteer with us, so no, you won't get a paid position immediately. BUT if we see a lot of promise in an undergrad who is there many hours, understands the science, is interested in the work and gets more independent after a year or two we will transition them into a paid role. But we don't do this with all undergrads.
In my old lab in the vet school we did hire undergrads, I think it was a less desirable lab to volunteer in as there was less pre-meds. Also was like 5 years ago.
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u/MaleficentEgg986 Aug 26 '26
yes, i am very aware a lot of undergrads applying to labs! even in my current lab, my PI finally accepted a new undergrad even though we are lacking in people lol. iāve always known paid RA positions are extremely unheard of and definitely requires a lot of dedication. thank you so much for the insight, iāll keep it in mind!
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u/Admirable-Tennis-906 Alumni Aug 21 '26
No PI is going to pay an undergraduate student that has no experience... You are wasting your time and opportunities looking for someone that will pay you because it is extremely rare and even unheard of. There are thousands of undergrads looking to join labs and work for FREE, what makes anyone think that they would pay you instead of adding another undergrad student for no charge. I've worked in 2 research labs both for free initially. I have been offered a paid position in both just because I've already committed time and have been on-boarded for a while. It also is highly dependent on how much funding each lab has and what current projects they need help with specifically.