The Mathematics Undergraduate Research Award (MURA) Program is an undergraduate research award program sponsored by the Faculty of Mathematics. This award provides experience that nurtures an interest in research careers and mathematics experience for undergraduate students with financial support during a full-time, on-campus or remote position for 16 weeks.
Application deadlines
The MURA is awarded three times a year. Applications are typically due 4 months before the start of the research term. A secondary deadline will be announced if there are remaining awards to allocate.
| Term | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Closed. (TBD; likely early January) |
| Fall 2024 | Closed. |
| Winter 2025 | Sunday, September 8, 2024 (Closed.) |
There are no more MURAs available for the Winter 2025 term. Please contact the Math Research Office for questions.
Questions?
Interested students with questions should first refer to the Undergraduate research FAQ for more information.
If you have difficulties regarding the applications forms or any parts of the MURA process not listed here or on the FAQ, please contact Daniel Huab.
Meet Clara
Clara worked with Professor Xi He, where she investigated and designed novel techniques to support differentially private analysis of graph data during the Winter 2022 term.
"One thing I appreciated a lot about my research assistantship under Dr. He was the amount of independence and ownership I had over my project. This autonomy and level of trust between my supervisor and I was unlike anything I had never experienced before in my previous co-ops."
I would absolutely recommend other undergraduate students to pursue a research assistantship if they're curious about research or graduate school at all. It's hard to know what research is really like until you do it!
Length of Project
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Full-time (35 hours per week) for 16 consecutive weeks (80 working days).
- Can be counted as a co-op work term but you do not need to be a co-op student to be eligible for this award.
A student is not allowed to be taking courses full-time or working on another project/job while holding the MURA as it is considered a full-time job.
Compensation
Commencing Fall 2024, MURA recipients will receive a minimum of $10,018 / term:
-
The value of the NSERC USRA: $6,000
- The supervisor’s contribution: $4018 (minimum)
Additional Funding Sources
Students/supervisors may supplement their MURA with the Undergraduate Research Fellowship (URF) valued at $7,500.
Students admitted with the President’s Scholarship of Distinction can claim the President’s Research Award ($1,500) to supplement the supervisor's contribution.
Eligibility
Students cannot apply for the USRA without a supervisor.
Student eligibility
To be considered eligible for the MURA, students must
- be registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award in a bachelor’s degree program in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo,
- have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (i.e. must be in their 2A term or higher),
- have a cumulative average (CAV) of at least 80%, and
- be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or an International Student with a valid study/work permit, as of the application deadline.
Further, students
- cannot have started a program of graduate studies in a field of mathematics at any time,
- cannot hold more than one MURA per fiscal year (May 1 to April 30),
- cannot hold more than three MURAs during their undergraduate degree, and
- cannot hold both USRA and MURA in the same term.
Supervisor eligibility
To be considered eligible for the MURA, supervisors must
- hold a faculty appointment in the Faculty of Mathematics, preferably with an appointment in the School of Computer Science,
- be authorized to independently supervise students,
- be eligible to administer NSERC funds, and
- propose a research project that falls under NSERC’s mandate.
MURA Project List - Math Research Office
Students who are interested in partaking in the MURA program but do not have a research supervisor or project may refer to the following pages managed by the Math Research Office (MRO).
Please keep in mind that any deadlines listed on the Faculty of Math Website are independent of the deadlines for the NSERC USRA and MURA application process in Computer Science. The School of Computer Science maintains its own internal deadlines that take precedence over those provided by Math.
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NSERC USRA/MURA Projects - table of potential supervisors and projects (including descriptions and requirements to partake in the research).
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MRO Application for USRA/MURA Supervisor or Project - webform for students to submit their research interests and transcripts to be considered for a match with an appropriate research supervisor/project (from the list above). Note that matches are not guaranteed.
If you have questions/inquiries about the MRO project list or application process, please contact them at mathres.office@uwaterloo.ca.
How to apply
After finding an eligible supervisor that has agreed to work with you and deciding on a research project that clearly defines your role and responsibilities with the supervisor, the following steps must be completed.
- Complete the online form using your WATIAM sign-in information.
- Your supervisor will have to complete the following online form.
- When both application forms are complete, email Daniel Huab, CC your supervisor, and include the following:
- A recent copy of your unofficial transcript.
- The date you expect to complete your degree (month/year).