UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD (USRA)
Would you like to gain experience conducting research under the supervision of CS faculty? If so, consider applying for the Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA).
This position may be full-time or part-time depending on the project.
NSERC USRA is available only to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents. VPRI USRA is available to International Students. Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents should apply for an NSERC USRA and indicate on the application if they would also like to be considered for a VPRI USRA if they do not receive an NSERC USRA in 2027-2028.
1. Review Eligibility Criteria. Information on what information is required to apply wuold be on that link.
Find further Eligibility Criteria specifically for the NSERC scholarships and fellowships.
2. Review the faculty projects listed below that are available for you to join with the USRA funding.
3. Choose your USRA. The centralized VPRI application system opens on Nov. 16th, 2026. You and your faculty supervisor must submit separate applications by Jan 15, 2027 NOON.
Please refer to the project proposals below. You may check again periodically as this list changes. Some supervisors may require you to contact them directly first, as described on the project proposals.
List of Projects
Applications are expected to open on an external VPRI application site Nov. 16, 2026 - Jan. 15, 2027 (NOON). Site link TBA.
Review your eligibility and application information on https://www.sfu.ca/fas/computing/current-students/undergraduates/student-resources/USRAInstructions.html
Here is the list of active project proposals for 2027
Wuyang Chen
Hint Timing and Advanced Learner Experience in Competitive Programming: An A/B Testing Study
Please email Wuyang Chen with your SFU (and other) transcript(s) and your CV/résumé, if you are interested in applying for this USRA project.
Here is the list of past project proposals for 2026
As specifically stated on some of these proposals from the past year. The list is included for reference only.
Angel Chang
Project 1: BIOSCAN
AND
Project 2: Compositional Text-to-3D scene generation
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Chang requests you also email your resume and transcript to her directly by Feb. 5th. Please read her project proposals which state this for details.
Angelica Lim
An App to Promote Collaborative Team Flow in Art
*Note: In addition to these application instructions , Dr. Lim requests, by January 28, 2026, that you also submit a cover letter, resume, and transcript to the Research Assistant Application form at https://www.rosielab.ca/join-us and note "Team Flow USRA". For details, please refer to the project proposal.
Arrvindh Shriraman
Bobby Chan
Ke Li
Project 1: Efficient Generative Models
Project 2: Reconstruction and Editing of 3D Scenes
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Li requests you fill out https://forms.gle/ZMPvJDntgFY7qDeC7 by Feb. 8th. Please read his project proposals which state this for additional details on applying to this project.
Keval Vora
Automated Graph Data Views at Scale
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Vora is currently accepting general unsolicited applications. Please email him a brief statement of interest along with your resume and transcript. He is looking for students with GPA > 3.0.
Manolis Savva
Approximate Convex Decomposition Algorithms for Efficient Physics-based Simulation in Embodied AI
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Savva requests, by Feb. 5th, that you email him your resume and unofficial transcript. Please refer to the project proposal for details.
Matt Amy
Maxwell Libbrecht
Self-supervised learning for genomic discovery
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Libbrecht requests you email him with "USRA" in the subject line and attach a CV and transcript. Please read the project proposal for details.
Oliver Schulte
Agent-Based Modelling and Reinforcement Learning
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Schulte is currently accepting general unsolicited applications. Please submit your resume and transcript. He is looking for students with GPA > 3.0. Refer to his project proposals for additional project and application information.
Ouldooz Baghban Karimi
Verification for Network Automation
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Ouldooz requests, that by Feb. 5th, you email her your statement of interest, CV and transcript. Refer to her project proposal for details.
Parmit Chilana
HCI Project: Enhancing Usability of AI-Powered Software Tools
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Chilana request you email her a brief statement of interest and include a recent transcript and a resume. Refer to her project proposal for details.
Saba Alimadadi Jani
Test Generation for TypeScript Programs
Human-Centered Debugging and Repair Tools for JavaScript and TypeScript
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, please email Dr. Alimadadi Jani your CV and transcripts to her. Refer to her project proposal for details.*
SiQi Zhou
Can You Make a Coffee for Me? A Robot Assistant for Everyday Tasks
Robots in Art: Learning Compositional Skills for Artistic Expressions
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, Dr. Zhou requests that by Feb. 10th, you fill out the application form. Refer to his project proposal for details.*
Sze Yiu Chau
Understanding the Technical and Human Factors Challenges for Better Wi-Fi
Testing implementations of RPKI validator
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, please email Dr. Chau your CV, latest transcripts, and a brief statement of interest to him. Refer to his project proposal for details.*
Tianzheng Wang
Future Data Management Systems
* Note: In addition to these application instructions, please email Dr. Wang your transcripts and CV.
Yagiz Aksoy
Questions?
For questions on the NSERC awards and application, contact ugradres@sfu.ca
For questions specifically pertaining to the research project, contact the individual faculty member.