(L) Douglas Swango, 2023 Beckman Scholar & (R) Micaila Marcelle, 2024 Beckman Scholar
About
The Beckman Scholars Program, funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, helps stimulate, encourage, and support research activities by exceptionally talented, full-time undergraduate students who are pursuing their studies at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The Beckman Scholarship is a prestigious one, providing a total student stipend of $18,200 plus $2,800 for research supplies and travel support over the course of the 15-month experience. Two Beckman Scholars will be selected annually.
The UA Beckman Scholars Program gives undergraduates funding and support to conduct in-depth research with a UA Beckman Mentor on a full-time basis for two consecutive summers, and part-time during the intervening academic year. UA Beckman Scholars work on a project of interest in their selected mentor’s lab, engage in professional development activities, such as leading undergraduates in small group discussions, inviting and hosting an eminent scientist to give a seminar at UA, meeting with Beckman Mentors, and serving as student leaders within the Undergraduate Biology Research Program, etc.
UA Beckman Mentors
Eligibility
To apply to UA’s Beckman Scholars Program, you must:
- Be a University of Arizona full-time undergraduate student whose major is in one of the following departments or schools
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
- School of Plant Sciences
- Be a freshman, sophomore or junior, at the time of application, graduating in May 2027 or later.
- Be in good academic standing.
- Be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or hold DACA recipient status.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Be willing and able to devote two consecutive summers (full-time, in-person for a minimum of 10 weeks) and the intervening academic year (part-time) to working on a research project(s) with a University of Arizona Beckman Mentor .
- Be willing and able to participate in the Annual Beckman Symposium, held in Irvine, CA, for both summers. If in-person, travel and hotel accommodations will be provided. *The 2026 Beckman Symposium will be held July 30 - August 1, 2026
- Be willing and able to serve as a summer workshop leader and peer facilitator for Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) participants and engage in the professional development activities associated with this program. This includes attending the Annual Ethics Retreat which typically held over the course of two days in June at the Biosphere 2 including an overnight stay. *The 2026 Ethics Retreat will be held June 18 - June 19, 2026
Application Process
Students interested in participating in the University of Arizona (UA) Beckman Scholars Program (BSP) must submit the following Stage 1 and Stage 2 application materials by the provided deadlines. A completed Stage 1 Application must be submitted in order to be eligible to submit a Stage 2 Application. All Stage 1 and Stage 2 application materials, except for the letter of recommendation, must be submitted to the 2026 BSP Box Folder.
*The link to the 2026 BSP Box Folder is provided in 2026 BSP Application Cover Page.
Please see our AI Policy (*TBA) for guidance on our requirements and restrictions on the use of large language models during the development and writing of your application.
Given the current landscape of research funding, we strongly encourage all UA BSP Applicants to also apply to as many of our other UBRP Research Programs as they can (check eligibility here), as well as any other research program or funding opportunity for which you are eligible.
Stage 1 Application (due Friday, January 16th, 2026 at 5:00PM Arizona Time)
Formatting guidelines: Keep the format provided in the Cover Page. Saved as PDF
File naming guideline: BSP Stage 1 Application_< Applicant First Name>_< Applicant Last Name>
Submission guidelines: Upload completed Cover Page to BSP 2026 Box Folder (link provided in 2026 BSP Application Cover Page)
Cover Page: A complete 2026 BSP Application Cover Page
Stage 2 Application (due Friday, February 13th, 2026 at 5:00PM Arizona Time)
Section I:
Formatting guidelines: 12 pt. Arial font, single spaced, 1” margins for all written materials (i.e. Personal Statement, Research Statement, & Research Proposal). Combine all finalized Section II materials into a single PDF file with each item appearing in the order in which it is listed below.
File naming guideline: BSP Stage 2 Application_< Applicant First Name>_< Applicant Last Name>
Submission guidelines: Submit finalized application as a single PDF to the 2026 BSP Box Folder (link provided in 2026 BSP Application Cover Page)
Personal Statement: One-page personal statement describing your career goals and reasons for applying to be a Beckman Scholar.
Research Statement: One-page description of your prior or current research experience.
*Research experience is not required. However, a strong foundational knowledge of science and the conduct of research is highly beneficial for writing your research proposal. For those interested in a more introductory experience in research, we recommend applying to UBRP or one of our other subprograms.
*If you do not have research experience, please describe your background in science in your Research Statement.
Research Proposal: Three-page research proposal based on the selected article prompt below.
*If you choose to include figures, they must be put at the end of the proposal and they will not count towards the three-page limit. A maximum of 2 figures may be included.
Transcripts: Unofficial or official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended (either Unofficial or Official).
Schedule: Your Spring 2026 course schedule, indicating times available for an interview.
Section II:
Submission guidelines: Letters are to be emailed to Quinn Reilly, qreilly@arizona.edu, directly from the letter writer by the Stage 2 deadline.
Letter of Recommendation: One letter of recommendation from a University of Arizona math or science faculty member.
Research Proposal Prompts
For the research proposal, applicants will select ONE of the two provided prompts (Prompt A or Prompt B) with its corresponding article. Applicants will write a three-page, single spaced, research proposal based on their selected prompt. This research proposal is NOT a proposal for the research you would be doing with a Beckman Mentor; rather this is an exercise to demonstrate your knowledge and ability to think creatively and methodically in terms of scientific research.
Prompt A
“Little-Known ‘Gut Virome’ Protects Us—And Changes throughout Our Lives” - Scientific American
- Viruses that infect bacteria in our gut (the “Gut Virome”) can change in response to host genetics, environment, aging and diet amongst other factors. Such viruses, especially bacteriophages, may modulate the microbiome composition either by killing harmful bacteria, or supplying antibiotic resistance genes to bacteria. For a human disease of your choice associated with disruptions in the gut microbiome, write a research proposal that could identify bacteriophages that may be the cause of microbiome dysregulation, or that could be utilized to correct microbiome imbalances.
Prompt B
“Modified bacteria convert plastic waste into pain reliever” - Science News
Plastic is a major concern to human and environmental health, however, its use is only projected to increase in the coming decades. Emerging research has shown that engineered microorganisms can chemically convert plastic waste into useful products. Select a plastic pollutant found in the human body, water system, or soil that interests you and propose a microbial method utilizing at least one bioengineered chemical pathway for transforming it into a toxicologically safe or useful product.
Research Proposal Components
A typical proposal of this type has several pieces:
Very brief introduction/specific aims.
Background and significance.
Elaborate upon the problem you have chosen, explain current approaches to solve the problem (why you chose your approach versus other approaches).
Describe specific aims and lay out experimental details/problems/solutions that elaborate on your aims. Clearly describe the logic behind your experiments and consider possible pitfalls.
Potential problems & solutions.
Make sure to cite all relevant background articles that form the basis for your proposal and any figures that you use.
Current University of Arizona Beckman Scholars are available to provide feedback on your proposal drafts. Please contact Quinn Reilly (qreilly@arizona.edu)at least 3 weeks before the Stage 2 deadline (Friday, February 13th, 2026) to arrange for feedback.
Beckman Scholar Selection
A committee will review students’ application and evaluate the merit and creativity of their research proposals; the most highly qualified applicants will be invited for an interview with the selection committee in late February or early March. At the interview, applicants will give a 10-minute presentation on their proposal to the selection committee. All applicants will be notified of their acceptance or rejection for the UArizona Beckman Scholarship by April 1, 2026.
Questions?
Please contact Quinn Reilly at qreilly@arizona.edu.