Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Each summer, the McDonough Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) offers students the opportunity to apply for a grant to conduct original research of their choice. Those receiving the grant are awarded up to $3,000 for a 6 week research project or up to $6,000 for a 12 week research project to be completed during the summer.
Students connect with faculty members to investigate topics that are related to business but may also be interdisciplinary in nature. By working one-on-one with a faculty advisor, students learn how to use the research process to inform a real problem.
Upon completion of the research project, students present their findings in a forum open to the entire Georgetown community and have their research papers, posters, or video presentations published to our website. Students also receive the following notation on their transcript: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, along with the year they participated in the program.
Information sessions for the 2023 SURF Program:
- Monday, February 13, 2023 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm | Virtually {Zoom Recording of the 2/13/23 Information Session}
- Tuesday, February 21, 2023 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm | In-Person {Hariri Room 130}
Applications for the 2023 SURF program are due on March 13, 2023.
Please contact Dr. Justin Smith, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, with any questions.
*Please note that the SURF program is only available to current McDonough undergraduate students.*
2022 Summer Research Projects
A Preliminary Look at the Stock Picking Skills of UIT Managers
By Sean Summers (B’25)
Project Advisor: George Comer
Analyzing the Decline of the Greek Free Press Following the 2009 Economic Crisis
By Demetra Pappas (B’24)
Project Advisor: Sahar Akhtar
Can Indian Style Compete in the Global Luxury Market?
By Palak Poddar (B’23)
Project Advisor: Charles Skuba
CBDCs: The Future of the Dollar or Fool’s Gold?
By Mira Patel (B’25)
Project Advisor: Nicholas Lovegrove
Closing the Racial Wealth Gap: The True Power of Homeownership
By Tayah Rubio (B’24)
Project Advisor: George Comer
Denied and Prejudiced: An Analysis of Algorithmic Bias in Lending
By Arul Nigam (B’25)
Project Advisor: Robin Dillon-Merrill
Effect of International Oil Import Sanctions Towards Russia on Global Oil Price: Correlation Between Political Motives, Oil Bans, and Oil Price
By Yiming Zhao (B’23)
Project Advisor: Lizhi Liu
Examining the Changes in the Ownership of Homes in NYC
By Jeffrey Clorissaint (B’23)
Project Advisor: George Comer
Fast-Food Fighting: Combating the American Obesity Epidemic
By Lauren Lamberson (B’25)
Project Advisor: Arthur Dong
How are Brick-And-Mortar Mid-Luxury Retailers Remaining Relevant through Digitalization?
By Sarah MacGillis (B’25)
Project Advisor: Karthikeya Easwar
How Can Luxury Brands Compete in a Hyper-Competitive Market?
By Anna Cheng (B’25)
Project Advisor: Suh Yeon Kim
Latin American Economic Development: Are the Scare of the Debt Crisis Still Felt Today?
By Spencer Nash (B’25)
Project Advisor: J Bradford Jensen
Predicting Product Success with Crowdfunding and Machine Learning
By William Nemoy (B’24)
Project Advisor: Bonnie Montano
The Current Status of IPO Lockup Expiration Date Phenomenon and the Correlation with Short Term Abnormal Returns
By Shiamak Kalwachwala (B’25)
Project Advisor: Reena Aggarwal
The Double-Edged Sword of CSR: How Perception Shapes Profits
By Bonnie Beiken (B’24)
Project Advisor: Karthikeya Easwar
The GameStop Short Squeeze: An Analysis of the Long Term Impact of Redditors on Wall Street
By Harris Chin (B’22)
Project Advisor: Arthur Dong
The Guna Yala Tribe: Effects of Climate Change and The Pandemic
By Sarah Kang (B’25)
Project Advisor: Robin Dillon-Merrill
The Implications of Social Media on Public Equities
By Bryant Hill (B’24)
Project Advisor: Xiaofei Zhao
The Power of AI in Finance: Predicting Stock Price Direction
By Anish Kumar (B’25)
Project Advisor: Erjona Prifti
The Truth Behind ESG Outperformance During COVID-19
By Jiaying “Kelly” He (B’23)
Project Advisor: Xiaofei Zhao
The Unintended International Spillover Effects of US Quantitative Easing in the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Aryan Malhotra (B’25)
Project Advisor: Charly Porcher