Details

Students will have the following opportunities upon acceptance into the program:

• Participants will attend a “What is Research” talk led by a Kellogg Faculty Fellow
• Participants will gain research skills and experience by participating in workshops and trainings across campus (a minimum of 3 will be required)
• Participants will be placed in a research assistant pool and will be considered for short term research projects of Kellogg faculty as they come in on a rolling basis
• Participants selected to complete research for faculty will be paid for their research
• Participants can renew for this program on a semester by semester basis as long as they meet the requirements of the program (as explained in orientation).
• KDR Leaders are eligible to apply for funding to present at and/or attend a conference. For more details, please click here.

Requirements

To apply for the Kellogg Developing Researchers Program, applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• Be in good academic standing
• Submit all required application documents by the deadline

Students will be required to attend an orientation as well as a talk on “What is Research?,” in addition to participating in at least three (3) trainings or workshops during the semester. 

Application

Students who would like to apply for this program should have an interest in developing their research skills. 

To apply for the Kellogg Developing Researchers Program, please go to the online application page.  You can login to the application system using your Notre Dame credentials. Before sending questions to the program administrators, please open the application and review.

When you log in, you will be asked to submit the following documents:

• A short essay (1 page, double-spaced, 12pt. font) explaining your interest in the Developing Researchers Program and how your involvement will support your academic goals.
• An e-transcript - Please be sure to include current courses. (Click here for instructions on requesting an e-transcript.)
  **NOTE: First year students may not apply until December for the spring semester. First Year students may submit an "unofficial" transcript as we will make decisions before official transcripts are ready.
• A résumé  - Please attach a current resume or CV
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member who can speak to the academic strengths, maturity and drive of the applicant.
   Please request the letter from your faculty recommender several weeks ahead of the deadline, and please inform him/her that the email will come from Submittable.
• Application Questionnaire 
  • Includes:
    • Self-assessment of skills and research knowledge
    • Relevant courses taken
    • Workshops and/or trainings taken

Application deadline for fall 2025: Thursday, September 11, 2025

Inquiries about the program can be submitted to Holly Rivers at hrivers@nd.edu or 574-631-6023.

Renewal

In order to renew participation in the program, you need to be in "good standing" and met the minimum requirements of the program the last semester you participated in KDR.

Renewal deadline: Friday, May 2, 2025

Click Here 

Conferences

KDR students who have been in the program in good standing for more than one semester may apply for funding up to $1500 to present their research at and/or attend domestic conferences or to present at international conferences. The conference should have a clear relation to the student’s academic program at Notre Dame.

Students must meet with Holly Rivers prior to submitting their proposal, and must submit a proposal at least 5 weeks in advance of the conference. The proposal should be sent by email to Rachel Thiel and include the Conference Funding Requirements listed below.

Students may receive up to two conference grants per academic year.

Conference Funding Requirements:

• A two-page proposal that includes a brief conference description (one paragraph), a web link for the conference, justification for attendance, and an explanation of how the student will utilize his or her time at the conference (the more specific, the better).
• A budget
• A statement of support from a professor from one of your classes, sent directly from the professor to Holly Rivers.

Can be submitted with application or after acceptance:

• Students applying to present at an international conference are required to register their travel with Notre Dame Global and purchase GeoBlue insurance coverage. Students will need to submit several documents to the Kellogg Institute to demonstrate that these requirements have been met in order for funding to be released. Students interested in this option should meet with Rachel Thiel before submitting an international proposal.
• Students who are attending but not presenting at a conference will be required to consult with a graduate student which can be found at the bottom of this page, about how to best utilize their time at a conference and submit a one-page document based on that conversation. The document should include the graduate student's name and department. (Note that you are not limited to this group.) Funding will not be released until this document is submitted.

Students may not miss any classes while using funding from the Kellogg Institute.

Students must accept the award in writing no later than three business days after receipt of the award letter and fulfill several requirements once awarded before the Kellogg Institute can process funding. The Kellogg Institute will initiate a check request once students accept the award and turn in the required paperwork. (Note that all paperwork must be completed one week before the conference for funding to remain available to the student.)

Funded students must submit a follow-up article to be posted on the website, describing what they gained from the experience. The Conference Follow-Up Form should be submitted to Rachel Thiel within two weeks of return.

Campus Conferences

Notre Dame Student Peace Conference (Spring): The Student Peace Conference hosted by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is planned by undergraduate students at Notre Dame. It provides students from across the country with a forum to explore issues of peace and social change and to present their research on these topics.https://sites.nd.edu/peacecon/

Off Campus Conferences

The American Anthropological Association’s Annual Meeting

Global Health and Innovation Conference

Global Development Conference

National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC)

Society for Research in Child Development

United Nations International Conference on Sustainable Development

For Faculty

Faculty Fellows of the Kellogg Institute can request an undergraduate student from this program to serve as a short term paid research assistant. 

If interested, a faculty member should send the following information to Holly Rivers: 

• a brief description of their research project 
• a list of skills the researcher would need to be successful
• how many estimated hours the student researcher needs to work to complete the project

•  To fill out the Skills Requirement Form - Click Here