Last updated NOVEMBER 15, 2023
There are numerous research opportunities available for undergraduate students around the country. The sponsors of this research include academic institutions, government agencies and private or public companies. Some of the programs are very small and informal while some are quite large and well organized. They can also have specific research areas targeted or be open to a variety of research interests. Each is unique in terms of requirements, compensation (including whether room and board or even travel to the site is included), duration, etc.
One way to find information is to go to a department at Holy Cross and check out fliers posted for summer undergraduate research opportunities in that field.
Other programs can be found in a variety of ways. Certainly a very good way to find out about opportunities like this is via the web.
Important Web Resources
- The National Science Foundation maintains a site for Research Experiences for Undergraduates. This resource is organized by research areas (e.g., biological sciences; physics; social, behavioral, and economic sciences), but it can also be searched by keywords. This is an excellent place to start. Visit http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm for more information.
- Science.gov is billed as the "gateway to US Federal science." They maintain a page that lists opportunities specifically aimed at undergraduate students. Please visit https://stemundergrads.science.gov/ for a list of current programs.
- From the University of California at Irvine: The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) offers a general listing of many nation-wide undergraduate research opportunities. Visit their web site where you’ll find a search engine allowing you to locate a summer research program according to a discipline of interest, including the physical sciences, biomedical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, humanities and the arts.
- Duke University offers an extensive list of summer research programs and other research opportunities in the biological sciences. Though this is not a searchable site, the list does provide several additional sources of information. Visit http://biology.duke.edu/undergraduate/current-students/research-independent-study/summer-opportunities.
- Purdue University also offers an impressive array of summer research opportunities both at Purdue and throughout the country. Plan to spend some time exploring this site - https://www.science.purdue.edu/careers/find_internship_research/index.html.
- Rochester Institute of Technology offers listings for summer research opportunities in biomedical research. Go to http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/premed.htm for more information.
- The American Mathematical Society generates a list of summer research programs for undergraduates. Most of these programs have application deadlines in February and March. Students interested in math research, please visit http://www.ams.org/programs/students/undergrad/emp-reu.
- Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) has a website listing summer research opportunities in neuroscience for undergraduates. The list is alphabetical, though deadlines for applications are prominently displayed on each item of the list. If you are interested in pursuing research in neuroscience, by all means visit https://www.funfaculty.org/undergrad_internships.
- The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has an online directory of summer research programs throughout the nation. Visit http://www.asbmb.org/summerresearch/ to explore various opportunities for research in biochemistry and molecular biology.
- The Association of American Medical Colleges maintains a list of summer research opportunities that are particularly attractive to pre-medical undergraduates. Consult https://www.aamc.org/members/great/61052/great_summerlinks.html for more information.
- From the New England Resource Directory, compiled by the Biomedical Science Careers Program, The online directory can be found at http://www.bscp.org/resources/new-england-resource-directory/.
- From Fred Hutch, a fantastic search engine for undergraduate internship opportunities in the sciences. Go to https://www.fredhutch.org/en/education-training/teachers-students/high-school-undergraduate-students/summer-undergraduate-research-program.html.
- From the American Psychological Association, here is a list of summer internship opportunities for students in psychology, broadly defined: http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/research-opportunities.aspx
- The Society of Physics Students has a website that lists, among other things, summer research opportunities. Go to http://jobs.spsnational.org/jobs/?keywords=&level=summer-research-internship for more information.
- Cognitive Development Society is home to a listserv that features jobs in cognitive development at all levels, including summer research internships for undergraduate students. Go to https://cogdevsoc.org/job-bank/
- Cientificolatino is a volunteer group that is aimed at promoting the involvement of Latinx and other underrepresented students in the STEM disciplines. They have put together a wonderful list of summer research programs, as well as other valuable resources. Check them out at https://www.cientificolatino.com/reu
- Institute for Broadening Participation - Building partnerships to support diversity in STEM brings an amazing search engine for undergrads looking for STEM research opportunities. Go to https://pathwaystoscience.org/programs.aspx?adv=adv for more information.
Additional Opportunities
January Deadlines
The University of Pennsylvania’s MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program is a paid 10-week program for both Penn and non-Penn undergraduate students. Summer Fellows are matched with select MindCORE faculty in interdisciplinary mind and brain studies based on student research interest and mentor preference. With their mentors, students embark on a research project shaped as much as possible by their interests. Housing is provided for all non-Penn participants. Under the supervision of faculty and program staff, students participate in a 1-week introductory workshop on interdisciplinary research in cognitive science, including a short programming course; 9 weeks of mentored research experience; weekly lunches for research discussions & faculty seminars; research ethics training; technical training; lab tours; professional development opportunities that prepare participants for pursuing advanced education and careers in related fields of research; and guidance toward creating a final poster or presentation of the student’s summer research work. Applicants must be enrolled as full-time freshmen, sophomores, or junior undergraduate students at an accredited institution. Graduating seniors are not eligible. Non-Penn applicants must be U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents, without exception. Non-Penn students who are in the U.S. on any type of visa are not eligible for the program. Applicants are asked to indicate their area(s) of research interest in the application form, contact information & demographic data, as well as provide a resume, unofficial transcript, contact information for 2 professional references (e.g., college instructor(s) and/or work manager), and a short personal statement of no more than 500 words. The personal statement asks applicants to state reasons for wanting to participate in the program, relevance of the program to future research plans, and provide brief details of research interest and/or experience. Please note that not all referees will be contacted. Reference requests are sent out after the first application review in late January. Click here for the program application! The application deadline is January 1, 2024.
WAVE FELLOWS PROGRAM - Caltech's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is but one manifestation of our commitment to institutional excellence. Diversity is essential to achieving and maintaining scientific excellence. - excerpt from Caltech's Statement of Mission-Based Values. The WAVE Fellows program supports this goal by increasing visibility and accessibility to Caltech's PhD programs to undergraduates in STEM fields who are seriously considering attending graduate school. WAVE Fellows is a 10-week undergraduate research program that provides robust programming in the areas of academic and professional development. Eligibility: Students must be current sophomores through non-graduating seniors and must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or students with DACA status. A minimum GPA of 3.2 is required. Competitive applicants will have completed sophomore-level courses in desired research field, have demonstrated through academic and/or co-curricular activities a passion for research, and can articulate how their research interests align with Caltech's research areas. The most competitive applicants will have prior research experience. Support: WAVE Fellows will receive a $7,740 award for the ten-week program. An additional $2,000 on-campus housing supplement and $260 travel supplement will be provided. Application: Online applications are due January 9, 2023. Program information sessions will be held throughout November. Click here for more information or reach out to Carol Casey, casey@caltech.edu, with questions.
We are happy to announce that we are accepting applications for the Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative! The application date is Monday, January 15th at 11:59 pm EST. Under the leadership of Dr. Dorceta Taylor, who serves as the Program Director, the Yale Conservation Scholars – Early Leadership Initiative (YCS-ELI), previously known as the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Michigan/Yale School of the Environment, offers a summer opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds. Each scholar spends the summer in Southern New England, New York, or Washington D.C., engaging in an exciting environmental internship. YCS-ELI is a part of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative (JEDSI) at the Yale School of the Environment.
MDI Biological Laboratory is excited to announce that our application portal is open for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program! Applications are due January 26, 2024, at 11:59 PM. For over 100 years, MDI Biological Laboratory has been a beacon for talented scientists at all stages, a place for major biomedical discovery and innovation. Our mentors are experienced in training inquisitive young minds to approach scientific inquiry with curiosity, with exceptional laboratory and data skills, and with professional confidence in communicating their findings. Many of our summer students have gone on to careers in medicine, scientific research, and industry, citing this experience as a major source of inspiration for their career choices. Research opportunities focus on uncovering basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying regenerative and aging processes in various animal model systems, including zebrafish, African turquoise killifish, nematodes and axolotls. Students will have access to state-of-the-art research laboratories and core facilities, support staff, and our inspirational coastal setting. Students will join in MDI Biological Laboratory's active scientific community, which includes other undergraduate research fellows, visiting scientists, graduate students, and post-docs as well as research assistants. During the 10-week REU fellowship. all students will participate in a scientific communication course and hone their technical writing, oral, and poster presentation skills. In addition, students will participate in Innovation Week activities aimed at building an innovation mindset. Depending on their research focus, students will also receive advanced training in microscopy and bioinformatics. Apply now – program dates 5/29 to 8/3/2024.
February Deadlines
The Language and Cognitive Development Lab at UC Berkeley, under the direction of Dr. Mahesh Srinivasan, is now accepting applications for our 2024 summer internship program. Highly motivated undergraduates, graduating seniors, and recent graduates are encouraged to apply. Our lab explores how linguistic, cognitive, and social abilities arise during human development and a central goal of our research is exploring how these different aspects of development interact with one another. The 9-week internship will be from June 3rd to August 2nd, 2024. Interns will be expected to work onsite for 30 hours/week and although, we recommend applicants apply for outside funding, we will provide a stipend of $3375 to those who are not able to secure funding. Interns will work closely with the lab manager, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and each other, and will meet with Professor Srinivasan to discuss their research. Interns will be involved in many facets of the research process, such as: assisting with data collection, running studies at local schools and museums, working on stimuli creation and preparation of study materials, reading relevant theoretical and empirical papers, recruiting participants, and processing or analyzing data. The goal of this program is to provide a comprehensive, hands-on research experience to students, while making valuable contributions to cognitive science. Please refer to https://lcdlab.berkeley.edu/summer-internship/ for more information and application instructions. The application deadline is Thursday, February 1st, 2024 at 9:00 AM PDT. Please note: accepted interns will have to pass a background check as required by the university since this role involves conducting research with minors. Please direct any questions to Emily Chau at lcdmanager@berkeley.edu.
BYU 2024 REU/Talmage Research. An REU Site to Prepare Students for Graduate School and an Industrial Career. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site will provide you with the opportunity to spend 10 weeks performing research in a state-of-the-art chemistry or biochemistry lab. In several labs you will solve research problems connected to chemistry or biochemistry industries. Applications for REU and Talmage are due February 15, 2024. REU program - https://reu.chem.byu.edu/, Talmage program - https://talmage.chem.byu.edu/
March Deadlines
April Deadlines
Programs for which a deadline Is NOT Specified