Meet PolyGPT, our AI-powered Project Idea Generator
Tell PolyGPT your favorite subject and a few hobbies you're passionate about to generate personalized project ideas.
Log in to explore PolyGPTExplore project ideas with the help of PolyGPT
See your personalized project ideas come to life with PolyGPT! Log in to brainstorm ideas.
We know the jump from your interests to a research project idea can be tricky.
That's why we've built tools to help you find the perfect project idea to lay the foundation of a successful project. Simply copy your favorite idea to your clip board, and paste it in the project idea section of the application.
Browse project ideas by Polygence mentors
Decentralized autonomous organizations
Blockchains are not just useful for cryptocurrencies; they also enable novel forms of governance. In this project, we'll explore decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs can govern all sorts of things, from financial protocols, to
Economics, Philosophy, Math, Computer Science
Building a Simple Animal Tracker from Smartphone Video
Scientists use artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically track how animals move and behave from video. Instead of manually watching and measuring, computers can now identify key body parts (like a fish's head and tail, or a person's joints). In this project, you'll use state-of-the-art tools that researchers actually use in their labs with no coding experience required.
Neuroscience, Physics
How does a sustainability narrative influence consumer behaviour and accountability of brands?
You could choose an industry that you’re interested in (e.g. beauty, fashion, food), a age demographic, and then explore the difference in consumer perception and brand accountability between different brand approaches, such as: brands that have some sustainable practices and don’t market them at all, brands that have some sustainable practices and share in marketing materials but it isn the focus, brands that have sustainability at the core of their messaging and mission. We’ll construct a structured research plan to understand what influences consumer behaviour to deduce why some brands are outperforming others, if consumers hold brands that use sustainability marketing to a higher level than those that don’t, and understand why some brands that have sustainable practices are choosing not to market them. The output could be a presentation or research paper with your analysis and findings summarising if marketing sustainability is generally a positive or negative impact and why some brands choose not to as part of their GTM plan.
Fashion, Business
"The Science of Sleep and Learning: How Rest Affects Your Brain's Ability to Remember"
In this project, you will explore the connection between sleep and memory consolidation by reviewing current research on how our brains process and store information during different sleep stages. You'll investigate questions like: Why do we sometimes wake up with solutions to problems we couldn't solve the day before? How does sleep deprivation affect academic performance? You have the option to design a simple study tracking sleep patterns and memory performance using apps or sleep journals, comparing how well participants remember information after good versus poor sleep. This project combines neuroscience, psychology, and practical applications that directly relate to student life—perfect for understanding why that all-nighter before an exam might not be the best strategy.
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Psychology
Discover if Humans are Rational!
Economists have documented hundreds of ways in which humans behave irrationally—loss aversion, overconfidence, anchoring, fairness bias, and more. Yet in everyday life, these biases are often invisible to us because they feel normal. In this project, you will design a brief, digital economic game in which players make decisions involving money, points, or resources. The game should be structured so that a “rational” choice is clear, but most players predictably choose otherwise. Examples of behaviors/biases you might choose to target include loss aversion, fairness and punishment, or overconfidence. You will then get an opportunity to distribute this economic game to those in your network and see the results for yourself!
Economics, Social, Psychology
Compare/Contrast Emotions or Behaviors Across Cultures and Visualize the Results!
Is love universal? What about jealousy? Do all cultures have marriage? Do all cultures have art? Anthropologists have written thousands of first-hand accounts ("ethnographies") of the cultures they have lived or immersed themselves in. I will help you compare and contrast accounts of an emotion or behavior of your choice across cultures to help you uncover whether that emotion or behavior reflects a core feature of human nature or a culturally learned phenomenon. At the end, I will help you create a scientific poster summarizing your results and visualizing points of overlap and non-overlap.
Economics, Social, Psychology
Design a Study of your Choice and Present the Results!
YOU get to come up with your own research question and design a study of your choice. Learn all the basics of the scientific process, including formulating a question, generating a hypothesis, designing and implementing a study, and understanding the results. I will guide you throughout every step of the process including providing you with assistance in analyzing and interpreting your findings. At the end of your project, you will get a chance to create a presentation or other medium showcasing both what you did and what you found.
Economics, Social, Psychology
How Can Physical Spaces Support Peacebuilding and Reconciliation?
Peacebuilding is often discussed in political or diplomatic terms, but physical spaces, such as memorials, shared public spaces, schools, or community centers, can also play an important role in healing, dialogue, and reconciliation after conflict. This project would explore how the design and use of physical spaces contribute to peacebuilding efforts. A student could study 1–2 examples of peacebuilding spaces (such as memorials, truth and reconciliation sites, or shared public spaces in post-conflict regions) using photographs, maps, historical context, and secondary sources. The research might examine how design elements, such as openness, symbolism, accessibility, or programming, encourage reflection, dialogue, or shared memory. Possible research questions include: How do spaces help communities process collective trauma? What design choices promote inclusion versus division? How do different cultural contexts approach peacebuilding through space? The final project could take the form of a short research paper or visual presentation that combines written analysis with images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be manageable for students new to research while introducing them to interdisciplinary thinking across design, history, and social science.
Psychology
How Do Political Systems Influence the Design of Civic Buildings?
Architecture is not neutral. Government buildings, such as city halls, courthouses, schools, or legislative buildings, often reflect the political values and power structures of the systems that created them. This project would explore how political systems influence architectural design and how buildings communicate ideas like authority, transparency, or control. A student could select 2–3 civic buildings from one country or compare buildings from different political contexts (for example, democratic vs. authoritarian systems). Using photographs, floor plans, historical sources, and secondary research, the student would analyze design elements such as scale, accessibility, materials, symbolism, and public/private boundaries. Research questions might include: How does architecture express power or legitimacy? What design choices encourage public participation or, alternatively, distance and control? How do historical or political moments shape the way civic buildings are designed? The final outcome could be a short research paper or visual presentation combining written analysis with annotated images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be achievable for a student new to research while introducing them to critical thinking about politics, space, and the built environment.
Psychology
How Does Geography Shape the Language We Use in Everyday Life?
Language is deeply connected to place. This project would explore how geography, such as neighborhoods, regions, migration patterns, or borders, influences the way people speak, the languages they use, and the meanings attached to certain words or expressions. A student could focus on one geographic area (for example, their city, a border region, or a multilingual neighborhood) and examine how language use varies across spaces. Research methods might include observing language use in public places, analyzing signage and advertisements, reviewing census or demographic data, and reading existing research on language, migration, and place. Possible questions could include: How does language change across neighborhoods? How do geography and migration influence which languages are visible or valued in public spaces? How does language signal belonging, identity, or exclusion in different places? The final project could take the form of a short research paper, map-based analysis, or visual presentation that combines written reflection with images, diagrams, or simple maps. This project is well-scoped for a student new to research and encourages them to connect everyday experiences with broader cultural and geographic patterns.
Psychology