How does undergraduate research at Emory compare with undergraduate research at Duke?

For an aspiring biology researcher who does not plan to join an honors program, Emory has a slight advantage in day-to-day accessibility, while Duke offers a larger and more varied research ecosystem. At both universities, honors status is not required to join a faculty lab, earn research credit, or pursue summer funding. The biggest determinant will be how early and deliberately you contact faculty whose work genuinely interests you.

At Emory, biology students can connect with labs across Emory College, the School of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health, and affiliated clinical research settings. Emory College’s undergraduate research infrastructure, including its summer research programming and research funding, is designed for students beyond formal honors tracks. The campus’s close links to public-health and biomedical institutions in Atlanta can be especially valuable for interests such as infectious disease, neuroscience, genetics, epidemiology, and translational medicine. The smaller-feeling departmental environment can make it more realistic to build a sustained relationship with a principal investigator after an introductory email, course, or office-hours conversation.

Duke has exceptional depth in biology, biomedical engineering, global health, neuroscience, genomics, and medical research, along with university-supported pathways such as the Undergraduate Research Support Office and interdisciplinary programs like Bass Connections. Those options can create ambitious project opportunities, including team-based research that reaches beyond a single biology lab. However, the breadth of Duke’s research enterprise means that students need to navigate more choices and that highly visible labs can draw substantial interest. A student who sends targeted outreach early, follows up professionally, and is flexible about tasks and subfields can still find meaningful work without honors credentials.

For direct lab access and a clear route into biomedical or public-health research, Emory may feel more immediately navigable. Duke may be especially compelling if you want research that combines biology with engineering, computation, policy, or global health and are comfortable taking initiative in a more expansive environment.