About

40th Annual CSU Student Research Competition

April 23-25, 2026 at San José State University

San José State University proudly hosts the 40th Annual California State University Student Research Competition. This prestigious, three-day statewide event showcases outstanding research, scholarship, and creative work by undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines across the CSU’s 23 campuses. 

The competition puts the state’s top research-active public university students on stage, providing a platform for emerging researchers to present their original work to a panel of expert judges.

SJSU

San José State University is the oldest public university in California and the founding campus of the CSU system. Established in 1857 in what is now the heart of Silicon Valley, SJSU is known for its history of innovation and serves over 37,000 Spartans annually. In 2025, the university earned recognition as a Carnegie R2 research-active institution and was ranked the #4 best public university in the nation by the Wall Street Journal.

Event Team

The 2026 CSU Research Competition is organized by the San José State University Office of Research, within the Division of Research and Innovation. The campus contact is Emily Chan, Director of Research and Engagement.  Questions may be directed to csustudentresearchcomp2026@sjsu.edu.

Logo

Designed by SJSU master’s student Naeem Mannan (right) and refined by SJSU Marketing and Communications, the 2026 CSU Student Research Competition logo shows an SJSU Spartan constellation comprised of 22 stars representing every CSU campus and our shared upward trajectory.