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

Students who will be abroad may apply for the program if they have been in the program at least one semester prior to applying.

APPLY

Inquiries about the program can be submitted to Holly Rivers at hrivers@nd.edu.

First year students may not be in the program during the fall of their first year on campus. They may, however, attend information meetings and apply in December to join the program in the spring semester.
Application deadline for spring 2026: Monday, December 8

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. Students who will be abroad may renew being in the program if they have been in the program at least one semester prior.

Fall Deadline: Friday, December 12th

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 conferences in the US or to present at international conferences. The conference should have a clear relation to the student’s academic program at Notre Dame.

*Funding for conferences taking place outside of the US is available only for students who are presenting at the conference.

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

Students who are submitting a proposal for the first time or a proposal to present at an international conference are encouraged to meet with Rachel Thiel to ensure that the proposal aligns with the conference funding guidelines.

Conference Funding Requirements:

To apply, students must send the following by email to Rachel Thiel at least 5 weeks before the conference:

• The content of the email must include:
  • Name of conference
  • Link to the conference website
  • Dates and location
  • Whether or not the student is presenting
• Students should attach a two-page proposal that includes a brief conference description (no more than two sentences), justification for attendance that addresses what the student expects to gain from attending the conference and how it will support the student’s academic and career goals, and an explanation of how the student will utilize his or her time at the conference.
• A budget (Note that the budget may not be increased once it has been submitted.)
• A statement of support from a research adviser or class professor for KDR students sent directly from the adviser to Rachel Thiel and 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 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. (See this section for graduate student resources.) Funding will not be released until this document is submitted.

In order to receive the funding:

• Students must accept the award in writing within three business days of receiving the award notification.
• Fulfill all requirements as outlined in the award email. The funding cannot be released until all conditions have been met.

Post-conference requirements - due within one week of returning:

• Complete the follow-up form 
• Submit a brief article and photo to be featured on the website, as outlined in the follow up form.

Students who fail to submit this material on time will not be likely to receive another conference grant.

In general, students should not miss any classes while using funding from the Kellogg Institute.

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