Research for what's next

Emory research isn’t just for those who wear lab coats or have “PhD” behind their names. Undergraduate students have opportunities to dive into research from their first days on campus, working alongside top faculty to explore big questions across the sciences and the humanities.

For some, it’s the first step toward a research career. For others, it’s a chance to delve deeply into a topic that inspires them, while building foundational skills they can apply in any future job.

Undergraduate students can enter Emory through either Emory College of Arts and Sciences or Oxford College, and can earn their bachelor’s degrees through Emory College, the Goizueta Business School or the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Whichever path they choose, they will find abundant support for pursuing their own research, including mentoring, funding opportunities, summer programs, honors theses and more.

Get to know seven undergraduate students exploring questions that piqued their curiosity — and learn how their experiences are shaping their future plans.

Elections research gives historic context to current events

Henley Adams

Political Science and History | Emory College

Henley Adams’ first-year seminar jump-started her love of research. A sophomore who grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, Adams registered for Andra Gillespie’s class on identity in the 2024 election.

“It’s still the most valuable class I’ve ever taken,” says Adams, who is majoring in political science and history with a concentration in law, economics and human rights. “I love current events and political science, and I still use everything I learned in there.”

At the end of the semester, Adams asked Gillespie, who serves as both associate professor of political science and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute, if she had any research openings. While Adams had no additional research experience, she says she was drawn to Gillespie’s obvious passion.

Now, Adams is compiling information on recent elections, gathering official results at the county and precinct levels. When available, she also gathers turnout by race, in addition to the census populations.

There are thousands of precincts in any given state, she explains — so there are a lot of data sources to comb through. She’s in frequent contact with Board of Elections across the country as well as the librarians here at Emory for additional support.

“I love how recent the work is,” Adams says. “All these things, I’m watching them in real time on the news and I’m also doing a deep dive into what is actually going on. I’m getting a full picture.”

Adams also admits that she’s been entrusted with more responsibility than she’d initially imagined she’d have. “I thought I’d do more surface-level things, and I’m glad to be involved in such a deep way, that Dr. Gillespie trusts me to do it,” she says.

It’s impacting her future plans, too. Adams had planned on attending law school but is now weighing the idea of pursuing a PhD in political science. In the meantime, she’s looking to gain more research experience, including in law.

Her best advice for current or future Emory students? “Don’t be scared to ask about opportunities. If you’re at this school, there’s something for you.”

Henley Adams stands with her presentation poster

Henley Adams researches behaviors of groups and the impact of identity during elections, in collaboration with Andra Gillespie.

Andrew Conlon, wearing a suit, stands next to a poster presentation

Through the Emory Herbarium, Andrew Conlon has pursued research on mushroom poisonings as well as antibiotic compounds that could fight staph.

Searching for antibiotic compounds to fight staph

Andrew Conlon

Biology and Chemistry | Emory College

Andrew Conlon didn’t have experience with research when he started as a first-year student at Emory, but he knew it was something he wanted to pursue.

Specifically, he wanted to study plants and mushrooms in the wild, which led him to email Cassandra Quave, associate professor of dermatology and human health, and ask about research opportunities. Quave directed him to the Emory Herbarium, a museum of preserved plant samples that are used for botanical research and education, where she serves as curator.

“I focused my research aims on toxicology reports of mushroom poisoning cases in Georgia, analyzing trends in age demographics and poisoning cases over time,” Conlon says. “We had 20 years of data, and I wanted to see if there was a correlation with age groups, and increasing or decreasing risk of poisoning over time.”

Mushrooms were top of mind for Conlon because he often forages himself and knows others who do, too.

The biggest result? An increase in the proportion of 12-84-year-olds presenting intentional poisoning cases after 2017, which can result from recreational drug use, misidentification of edible mushrooms for morphologically similar poisonous ones, as well as mushrooms being mislabeled.

Conlon presented his findings at the undergraduate research symposium last year.

“It was really fun,” he remembers. “I liked taking what I learned in the lab and from classes and translating it for a general audience.”

Part of his presentation included the toxicology of how mushrooms act on the body and research around how the plants are regulated.

Now in his sophomore year and double majoring in biology and chemistry, Conlon is working on antimicrobial screenings of a Mediterranean plant. Specifically, he’s working with strains of staph to identify potential antibiotic compounds against the infectious bacterium. He just presented these findings at the Emory Undergraduate Research Symposium.

His passion lies in botanical and plant medicines. In his second semester, Conlon also worked with the Winship Cancer Institute, inspiring him, in his own time, to research how compounds in plants have been isolated and used to treat cancer.

He plans to continue his antimicrobial screening work with the Quave lab until he can isolate the specific molecule that is most active. After that, he has his sights set on an MD/PhD program focused on toxicology.

Despite loving plants — and being president of the Emory Botanical Society — Conlon says he was surprised by the vast amount of chemicals produced and contained in a single plant species.

“I thought it would be straightforward, but in reality, plants have hundreds of enzymes capable of producing thousands of chemical compounds, each with unique properties,” he says. “Now I feel like an investigator trying to discover the bioactive molecules that could translate into antibiotics.”

Measuring pain and risk factors for caretakers of cancer patients

Ella Day

Bachelor of Science in Nursing | School of Nursing

A senior working toward her bachelor’s degree in nursing, Ella Day says she was originally interested in Emory thanks to how welcoming the community is.

“I intended to be a pre-law student, but after my first year, I realized that while it’s something I could do, I wasn’t passionate about it,” says Day, who grew up in nearby Kennesaw, Georgia. “I wanted a career where I’m really helping people and spending time with them.” She sought out nursing students and chatted with her advisor before determining to make the switch.

While Day took a research class in high school, it wasn’t until becoming involved with the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) as a nursing student that she had the opportunity to “work on a true research project.”

In that first semester, Day worked with a clinical team to choose a systematic issue, collect data and drive an intervention. “It was rewarding,” she says, “and last spring we got to present at a conference in Seattle. That’s what got me into my honors thesis, ultimately.”

Mentored by assistant professor Yufen Lin, that thesis is focused on colorectal cancer and associated pain experienced by both patients and caregivers. The study also looks at how factors like age, health and social background may contribute to the pain.

Day explains that there is not a lot of research including caregivers, despite the fact that those individuals experience physical and emotional stress, personal care neglect and financial stress, among other factors.

“In nursing, we learn the first step in care is assessment and I’m focused on assessing risk factors for pain,” Day says. “What’s been surprising is how complex cancer pain is for caregivers — they have even more significant factors than patients.”

Insight from Day’s work could help guide interventions to reduce pain for both patients and caregivers.

Her love of research isn’t coming to a close when she crosses the stage at graduation, either.

“This fall, I’ll be starting in the ICU at Emory University Hospital, and I’m excited to work on research projects,” she says. “That was one of my first questions to them.” Long term, Day plans to pursue her doctor of nursing practice degree, a program that also incorporates research.

“My experience at Emory University Hospital will help me understand research even more deeply, and drive it back to oncology,” Day says. “I have a heart for that.”

Ella Day stands next to her presentation about pain and risk factors for colorectal cancer patients and caregivers

Ella Day has focused her research with the School of Nursing on pain interference and risk factors among patients with colorectal cancer and their caregivers.

Yujin Ha plays a violin at the research symposium

Yujin Ha combined her research experience with a music abroad program in Italy. There, she learned how the construction of violins impacts the performance and audience reception.

Italy offers insight into violin construction and performances

Yujin Ha

Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology; Music Performance| Emory College

“I liked that Emory was a big research institution with a smaller undergraduate college,” says sophomore Yujin Ha, who is pairing a major in neuroscience and behavioral biology with music performance.

“When I first arrived, I thought the first type of research I’d do would be something in the sciences. That’s what I initially was interested in, the health programs,” she reflects. “But on the contrary, Dr. Bhasin, the director of orchestral studies, told me that I could pair Emory’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) with the music abroad in Italy program.

“I thought, why not pursue both?”

Ha has been playing the violin since she was seven and was interested in learning how they’re made and what goes into the production process. She was also curious how a deeper understanding of the craft would impact her performance.

In Italy last summer, she had access to primary sources, visiting luthier workshops and discovering how Italian violin makers have developed their styles from the 17th century.

“It was eye opening,” Ha says. “So many products [today] are copy-paste, but every violin is thought out. A lot of love and care is put into every instrument.”

At first glance, Ha’s two areas of study might seem unrelated. But she sees the crossover: the way an audience receives a musical performance has to do with the brain.

“I’m taking a class now called the musical brain, which discusses how we process sound. During my research, I found that a lot of the performance techniques I use are possible because of how violins are produced. Certain sounds, like overpressure (which creates an unpleasant scratching noise), are deliberately put in music. The audience response has a lot to do with the brain.”

Her research has sharpened her eye for detail in a piece of music. Now, she says, she works to think through exactly what the composer was trying to convey with their choices.

As Ha’s first experience with research, this hasn’t been what she’d imagined.

“I used to think research was very structured and had to follow a specific format,” she says. “But for independent research, especially in the humanities, you have a lot of freedom in topic and methods, and in how you want to present it.

“My presentation [at SURE] wasn’t a poster, it was an oral presentation with performance. I didn’t know you could do that.”

Understanding how biological functions impact diseases like lupus and cancer

Joey Hough

Biology and Spanish | Emory College

“Emory was a place of outstanding opportunity,” says sophomore Joey Hough, reflecting on his college application process.

Growing up in Longview, Texas, Hough says he didn’t have research opportunities. “I was so excited to go somewhere that had such a big support system for research,” he says.

When he got to campus, he started looking into available labs, determining what areas he was drawn to before reaching out and asking about availability for an undergraduate student.

Hough, who is double-majoring in biology and Spanish, works in Associate Professor Blerta Xhemalçe’s RNA and epigenetics lab at the School of Medicine. He’s focused on understanding the biological functions of a protein known as N-Acetyltransferase 10 or NAT10.

“We want to see if there’s any medical way to help with disorders such as lupus, cancer and early aging, by manipulating the protein’s activity,” Hough says. “Designing and performing those experiments drew me in and I knew it was something I’d be willing to commit a lot of time to, which is why I pursued working in Xhemalçe’s lab.”

Beyond the research findings, Hough also genuinely loves being in the lab. “There’s something to be said about spending time around people who are smarter than you,” he says of his fellow researchers. “I learned so much from just being exposed to all of that, and that kindness, the research, the experience were all aspects that drew me to this lab.”

“Dr. Xhemalçe knew I was inexperienced and she helped me to understand the research, slowly giving me more and more responsibility. It gave me such an appreciation for the project and I feel very connected to it. Even when I’ve made mistakes, it’s always been an environment that is kind and understanding,” he says. “She’s made me the researcher I am today.”

Research in biochemistry requires precision and lots of time. Sometimes it requires the researcher to pivot what they’re doing and explore an unexpected outcome.

“Fulfilling that curiosity is really what keeps me from being overwhelmed with the process or becoming frustrated by results not being what we expected,” he says.

Hough is on the pre-med track, but is considering pursuing a joint MD/PhD. Even if his career isn’t research-focused, he says, he has treasured his experience.

Joey Hough laughs during a conference presentation

Joey Hough’s work in Blerta Xhemalce’s RNA and epigenetics lab focuses on the biological functions of a protein known as NAT10, and how manipulating those functions could help treat health conditions.

Molly Lanham holds a presentation poster

Molly Lanham and her team researched how daffodil bulbs impact the growth of triple negative breast cancer cells in collaboration with LaTonia Taliaferro-Smith.

Daffodil bulbs and triple negative breast cancer cells

Molly Lanham

Biology and Anthropology| Oxford College

Molly Lanham was thrust into Emory’s research before technically becoming a student.

When Lanham, who is now a sophomore at Oxford College, visited for admitted student day, she attended a faculty panel focused on the wide range of research happening.

“My mom forced me to go talk to Dr. LaTonia Taliaferro-Smith after the panel, which was completely out of my comfort zone,” Lanham remembers. “I remember thinking, this is embarrassing, but Dr. Smith wasn’t weirded out or annoyed that I was asking questions.”

Quite the opposite. Smith, who serves as associate teaching professor of biology and director of undergraduate laboratories, took Lanham on a walking tour of her research lab, the first Lanham had ever stepped foot inside. The students who were working in the cell culture room were first-generation college students, just like Lanham.

“It was instant connection,” she says.

The summer before her senior year, Lanham attended the CDC Disease Detective Camp. There, she worked on an experiment in a group and toured the retired research lab that is now used for training.

She was hooked.

When she arrived on campus, she enrolled in Smith’s class on the history of cancer. “I had been doing a lot of cancer treatment shadowing, and I love history, so this was an intersection of everything I like,” Lanham remembers.

Smith then became Lanham’s advisor and was again her professor the following semester in a research seminar where Lanham began working with cells on triple-negative breast cancer research. Students were split into groups of four, writing proposals and conducting their own research.

Lanham’s group was focused on crude daffodil bulb extract. Originally, the group had planned to look at haemantamine, which caused apoptosis (cell death) in other cancer cells, but not in triple-negative breast cancer.

However, when they were unable to isolate it chemically in the lab, they pivoted to crude daffodil bulb extract, macerating the entire daffodil bulb.

“Dr. Smith can’t tell us how to do something that had never been done before, so we had to figure it out,” says Lanham of the pivot. While the extract had been tested in other types of cancers, it had never been experimented with triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Despite a research experience that was full of “side quests,” the research showed a lot of promise. So much promise, in fact, that Smith plans to have new students from the incoming cohort pick it up and continue the work.

“You learn a lot about how to make things work, in a lab,” says Lanham. “You never know what’s going to happen, and a lot of times what happens is something you don’t want. It’s a lot of, ‘Here’s a problem, now fix it.’ But it’s crazy to see how we were when we first started and where we are now.”

This fall, Lanham will transition to the Atlanta campus. She’s already looking into labs, hoping to work with cell cultures. “I like the pressure. I don’t know what it is, but I like doing something hard and getting it right.”

While she’s double-majoring in biology as well as anthropology and human biology on the pre-med track, Lanham says she’s not sure what the future holds. But for now, she loves research — even when things are challenging.

Replicating successful grassroots initiatives

Clara Wasserman

Business Administration and Political Science | Goizueta Business School and Emory College

“The idea of professors seeking out undergraduate input made me feel valued. What an opportunity you have to learn from senior faculty members that are so recognized in their field,” says Clara Wasserman, a senior graduating with a double major in business administration and political science.

Wasserman, who came to Emory from the Netherlands, initially became involved with research thanks to a political science class taught by Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Media and International Affairs Holli Semetko, but it wasn’t long before she was seeking out research opportunities in business administration through the Goizueta School of Business.

“In Goizueta, all students have to do an immersive course. I saw there was a research opportunity that aligned with what I value outside of school, and that’s why I chose the course in Honduras,” she says.

That class traveled to Honduras to conduct a case analysis of Hospital de Ojos Fraternidad, specifically focused on understanding how the initiative grew locally.

“We worked to understand that story, then created a timeline to discover where the inflection points that allowed the initiative to scale are,” says Wasserman. Ultimately, the hope is to replicate the hospital’s success in other cases.

Working with Peter Roberts, professor of organization and management, and Robert Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler professor of organization and management — as well as their PhD students in the Business and Society Institute — has given Wasserman confidence to think through possible explanations and apply these lessons to her own interests.

“I feel replenished and fulfilled when I’m helping others,” she says, “and this experience has confirmed my gut instinct that I want my career to make a difference to others.”

What exactly that career will look like is still unclear. In addition to her double major, Wasserman will also be graduating with a master’s degree in accounting, with an eye toward law school in the future.

Looking back, Wasserman says her eyes have been opened to the many bridges that exist among topics she’s interested in.

“I used to say I don’t have curiosity for hypothesizing something or figuring out why,” she says.

“It turns out I was just doing it for the wrong subject.”

Group of individuals chatting and wearing masks

Clara Wasserman (center) traveled to Honduras with a class through the Goizueta Business School to conduct a case analysis of Hospital de Ojos Fraternidad.

Research resources

Students have abundant support for research across Emory's undergraduate schools:

The Emory College Pathways Center is designed to help students discover research opportunities, offer funding, learn about graduate school and more. The Scholarly Inquiry and Research Experience (SIRE) Program is a hands-on research opportunity for first-time researchers in Emory College, designed for students who have little to no experience in research but are interested in starting. The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is a 10-week program for Emory College students and Oxford continuees to conduct full-time independent research under the direction of a faculty mentor. The SURE program also exists on the Oxford College campus. In the Emory College Honors Program, students spend their senior year writing an honors thesis on any subject grounded in their program of study. Students then defend and publish their work to the Emory Theses and Dissertation site.

Students chosen as Oxford Research Scholars work directly with faculty members for a full academic year, presenting finds during the Oxford Research Scholars Spring Symposium. The Center for Pathways and Purpose helps students connect research experiences to internships, careers, graduate school and fellowships, ensuring research is not just an academic activity, but a launchpad for future success.

The Goizueta Business School’s Business and Society Institute is focused on critical challenges that businesses and their stakeholders can address together to deliver a climate-smart, inclusive economy — offering students hands-on experiences locally and across the globe. With a focus on bridging the microbusiness gap in low income areas, the Emory Impact Investing Group helps local entrepreneurs from historically underserved communities with resources and financing. Undergraduate students are also involved in a capstone course that partners with top businesses to solve real challenges.

The School of Nursing’s Honors Program offers students the opportunity to work on a team with the school’s core research centers. Each team will explore issues relevant to nursing and society, then produce a publication and present an abstract at a scientific conference.

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Emory University

About this story: Writing by Michelle Ricker. Photos by Emory Photo/Video or submitted by students. Video by Radar Creative.

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