REU Site: AI, Security, and Privacy
Spend nine weeks of the summer in Evanston conducting research with Computer Science faculty and other undergraduates. Housing, meals, and stipends are funded by the National Science Foundation.
NSF-Funded
Open to undergraduate students who are US Citizens, US Nationals, or Permanent Residents.
CS Research
Work with faculty and other students on cutting-edge research across three subareas.
In Evanston
On-campus housing and meals are provided, along with a stipend of $600 per week.
Apply soon!
The application will be posted shortly via NSF’s ETAP website. The deadline will be February 15. For questions, please email zach [at] northwestern [dot] edu with the subject line “REU Site Inquiry.”
Details
When?
The program will run June 22, 2026 through August 21, 2026. To be eligible, you must be available on-campus for at least eight of these nine weeks.
Research projects
Your application should indicate your interests, but individual projects will be decided upon in collaboration with faculty mentors.
Who?
Any current undergraduate student who is a US Citizen, US National, or Permanent Resident. We expect to accept 8-10 students for summer 2026.
Understand research careers
In addition to hands-on research, students will attend regular activities to demystify graduate school, build nontechnical skills, and socialize.
Academic preparation
Prior research experience is not required. You must have completed one year of your undergraduate degree by June 2026 and must plan to earn your undergraduate degree no earlier than December 2026.
Share your research
Participants will end the summer by presenting their work to other students and faculty.
Additional Details
This is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), organized by Zach Wood-Doughty. Participants will conduct independent research in collaboration with one or more Northwestern faculty members.
At an individual level, the goal of our REU is to help each participant develop the competence and confidence to conduct CS research. While mentors will guide participants to a focused project at the beginning of the summer to enable a “running start,” we will structure our research activities to help students develop autonomy and an understanding of research direction outside their specific project.
At the cohort level, we hope to foster a collegial and collaborative environment between participants. We will provide a dedicated shared working space for the cohort and individual desks in offices shared with NU students. We will encourage REU participants to share their expertise and work together whenever individual projects align.
In the first week, an introductory “short course” will help build a common language among participants across the fields of AI, Security, and Privacy. Formal presentations within the cohort combined with everyday conversations will allow participants to learn from one another’s projects.