Requirements

Minimum requirements to serve as an undergraduate research ambassador include:

• 1 year of undergraduate research experience
• Concurrent involvement in research at the time of ambassador appointment
• Ability to attend meetings twice a month (biweekly) at pre-scheduled meeting times
• Ability to complete 15 hours of service over the course of the semester
• Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of serving
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong interest in advocating undergraduate research programming and promoting the positive aspects that the Office of Undergraduate Research offers

Additional research and leadership experiences will be taken into consideration when offering the role of an ambassador including:

• Past enrollment in any research program or symposia (e.g., RAP, SURE, NIST SURF, REUs, URDC, POH, NCUR, WVU’s Undergraduate Spring Symposium, WVU’s Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, travel-funded research, or other conference presentations)
• Serving in a prior role with a demonstrated community impact on campus (e.g., serving in a student organization, serving as a resident assistant, extensive volunteering)
• Proven commitment to expanding opportunities in undergraduate research

Opportunities to Serve

Ambassadors are asked to serve in several ways. Throughout the semester, opportunities might include:

• Presenting undergraduate research opportunities to various student organizations
• Tabling in the Lair or other spaces on campus for event promotions
• Providing event support at the Undergraduate Spring Symposium
• Recruiting at Decide WVU Days
• Recruiting at WVU Junior Preview Days
• Providing programmatic support to the RAP program

2026-27 UGR Ambassadors

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  Dena Lin
  

  Undergraduate Research Ambassador

  Majors:  Exercise Physiology

  Graduation Year: 2027
  Hometown: Queens, New York
  Student Organization Involvement: Student Athlete Tutor 
  Interest and Hobbies: Dancing, working out, baking, listening to music
  Fun Fact: I am a fraternal twin
  Research Area: My research area focuses on investigating the potential role of post-translational modification in regulating mitochondrial function in the aged liver. The specific mechanism that I look into for my project is called lysine acetylation, which is a post- translational modification shown to regulate mitochondrial proteins involved in various cellular pathways. I utilize this mechanism in my lab to look into how its regulation impacts liver mitochondrial proteins involved in gluconeogenesis.
  
  
  
• 

  Cloe Ratliff

  Undergraduate Research Ambassador

  Major: Biology & Psychology 

  Graduation Year: 2027
  Hometown: Morgantown, WV
  Student Organization Involvement: Global Medical and Dental Brigades, Presidential Student Ambassador, Wellbeing and Mental Health Student Advisory Board, and Undergraduate Research Ambassador
  Interest and Hobbies: Reading, working out, pickleball, and hanging out with friends
  Fun Fact: I have seen Taylor Swift live 6 times! 
  Research Area:  I have worked in Dr. Jianhai Du's lab since August 2023 on various projects relating to eye metabolism. I love it because of the diversity in my opportunities in the lab from cell culture to mouse dissections to clinical projects. I really get to do it all! 
  


• 

  Caden Ginter

  Undergraduate Research Ambassador

  Majors:   Computer Science, Physics

  Graduation Year: 2027
  Hometown: Carlisle, PA
  Student Organization Involvement: Secretary of the Society of Physics Students, Secretary of Quantum Technology Club, Undergraduate Research Ambassador
  Interest and Hobbies: Hiking and Coding
  Fun Fact: Was a fencer in High School
  Research Area: Computational Quantum Materials Science
  
  


• • 

    Beshika Katwal

    Undergraduate Research Ambassador

    Major: Biology

    Graduation Year: 2027
    Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
    Student Organization Involvement: President of ISO, UGR Ambassador, Pre-Med Club, Red Cross Service Club, Resident Assistant Council, Nepalese Students and Scholars Association
    Interest and Hobbies: Swimming, listening to music, travelling, baking, badminton
    Fun Fact: I am from the land of the tallest mountain in the world
    Research Area: My research focuses on obesity-related heart disease and mitochondrial ROS production.
  • 

    Haya Salman

    Undergraduate Research Ambassador

    Major and Minor: Biology, Molecular Medicine

    Graduation Year: 2028
    Hometown: Morgantown, WV
    Student Organization Involvement: Pre-Med Club, Muslim Student Association (WVU MSA), Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA), Pakistani Student Association (PSA), Undergraduate Research Ambassador
    Interest and Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, hanging out with friends
    Fun Fact: I have lived in three countries.
    Research Area: I perform research in the visual sciences and ophthalmology department under Dr. Kolandaivelu in the Health Sciences Center. I study how removal of the B2 subunit in the ATP1B2 pump within the retina affects the RS1 protein, retinal stability, and its relation to XLRS.