“A UROP experience transforms so much for students – it can inform their graduate school plans and even their careers.  And undergraduates bring a terrific ingenuity, perspective, and passion to MIT research”

For more than 20 years, Michael Bergren has seen firsthand how undergraduate students thrive when they can actively participate in faculty research. As Associate Dean and Director of UROP, Michael plays a key role both in setting UROP’s strategic vision and directing its broad operations, all with an eye on continued growth and evolution. Michael oversees a multimillion-dollar budget that supports over 1,500 undergraduate researchers each year, and partners closely with the MIT fundraising team to engage donors.  He also works closely with senior administration on UROP-related policies, and supports colleagues from across the Institute in efforts and initiatives that advance experiential learning.

Michael received a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, and a MEd in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University. He’s a Boston native whose early career included stints at a supermarket, a bank, and a record store (when music came to us on vinyl). If you have questions about 1980s new wave, he should be your first stop.