Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF): Program Overview
ITS-Davis offers a research fellowship program for undergraduates interested in conducting transportation-related research. Fellows work closely with ITS-Davis academic and research faculty, professional researchers, and graduate students. The program is in-person and follows a cohort model: Students begin and end the fellowship at the same time, meeting regularly to
- attend a welcome lunch / meet and greet at the beginning of the program,
- discuss their research projects,
- attend research seminars, where fellows will meet in-person and have the opportunity to learn about other transportation-related research being conducted by UC Davis faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and/or professional researchers and staff,
- participate in field trips, and,
- at the conclusion of the fellowship, deliver a research report and present their research findings.
After our summer program ends, many of our fellows either continue on with their research teams, go on to graduate school, and/or go on to work in transportation-related careers.
Student Eligibility
Applicants must have completed their sophomore year, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and be eligible to work within the U.S., as fellows are hired as hourly employees at UC Davis.
The program is currently open to students at Sacramento City College, UC Davis and Woodland Community College.
This opportunity is not restricted to certain majors: Current students in any major at participating universities are eligible to apply.
Deliverables
At the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows submit a report to the SURF program staff and give a presentation on their research findings to other participating fellows and mentors, as noted above. Report and presentation guidance is provided to fellows at the beginning of the program.
Upcoming Program Cycles
The application period has closed for the 2026 program year. We expect to issue the call for applications in for summer 2027 in March.
When the call is active, applications instructions will be available here, on this webpage.
Program Management Contact Information
Please direct any questions about this program to:
Anna Espitallier
Education Program Manager
Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis
[email protected]