External Research Opportunities

• The National Science Foundation website offers numerous research opportunities, so be sure to check it out regularly for new opportunities.

• The JHU BioREU is a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates site. The ten-week summer program is intended to provide an intense, mentored research experience for undergraduates, particularly those attending institutions with restricted research options. Participants will be mentored by the chief investigator of the lab in which they are placed. A postdoctoral fellow or graduate student in that lab will give daily supervision and guidance in the research. Participants will also interact with graduate student mentors from other labs to provide a greater sense of community and other resources. The JHU BioREU program invites rising sophomores, students in community colleges or other schools with limited research options, and "non-traditional" students (e.g., first-generation college students, veterans, and older students) to apply. Applications for summer 2024 will open in December 2023.  Find out more details here. If you have any questions and/or concerns reach out to Kat Mincey.

• UMBC has an opening for students to apply for the University System of Maryland's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (USM LSAMP). The research program provides scholars with the opportunity to join a community of undergraduate researchers, attend professional development seminars, and receive a financial prize during the duration of the program. The award is open to undergraduate scholars who study with prominent STEM instructors from the University System of Maryland. Student scholars do research for at least eight weeks per summer under the supervision of a faculty research mentor. Click here to learn more about the program requirements and application procedure.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is looking for undergraduate students to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. The Gaithersburg site provides both in-person and virtual fellowships. An extra fellowship position is available in Boulder, CO. The SURF program allows students to do research with internationally recognized NIST scientists, exposing them to cutting-edge research and encouraging them to pursue graduate degrees and jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The deadline for submission is January 31, 2024. More information on this program can be found by clicking here.

• New York University encourages students to apply for the Simons Foundation-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). The program is designed for undergraduates who want to pursue a career in biological research. This ten-week program places students in NYU faculty laboratories. Many research fields are covered in the curriculum, including genomics and systems biology, developmental genetics, molecular and cellular biology, evolution, ecology and environmental biology, computational biology, microbiology and microbiome, and plant genomics. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2024. Click here for additional details.

Environmental Opportunities

• Johns Hopkins University is offering a new program called the REU SITE: Biological Basis of Social Behavior. The fundamental goal of this program is for students to have a thorough understanding of specific research efforts while also relating their endeavors to the larger context of biological evolution. Faculty will engage with a wide range of species, from bats to primates to humans, to address important questions in behavioral biology and cognition. This program's research topics include ethology, behavioral ecology, neuroscience, and psychology. This program will be notable for its strong emphasis on the usefulness of using comparative models to examine scientific questions ranging from evolutionary analysis to mechanistic knowledge to practical applications. The program will begin in the summer of 2024. Applications will open on December 1, 2023. Check out more details on the program and apply here. If you have any questions and/or concerns, email Dr. Bohn.

• The Maryland Sea Grant is offering undergraduate seniors the opportunity to undertake marine research on Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 2024. Throughout the twelve-week program, each student collaborates with a mentor on an individual research project. It's a unique opportunity to hone your research abilities and interests while studying America's largest estuary alongside leading scientists. Some of the research areas will include molecular biology, environmental change, contaminants, environmental chemistry, etc. To learn more about the program and where to apply, click here.

• California State University, Monterey Bay provides a ten-week REU program in the lovely Monterey Bay Region. Students work with mentors at local host universities to produce hypothesis-driven projects and receive critical feedback from mentors. Throughout the program, students participate in a variety of professional development workshops and training. The year culminates with our annual year Research Symposium. Following the completion of the program, students are given funding to present their finished study at a conference. The submission deadline for summer 2024 applications is January 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Please visit their website to learn more about the REU program.  

• The Boyce Thompson Institute is looking for undergraduate students to engage in the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) summer internship program. The program is to discover how basic plant research can be used to protect the environment, promote human health, and improve agriculture. Interns will be able to work closely with their mentors, postdoctoral colleagues, and graduate students in a laboratory setting, PGRP undergraduate researchers gain expertise in plant genetics and scientific research. Undergraduate researchers will master the most recent molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics tools while working on a supervised, autonomous research project within the framework of the assigned laboratory's research program. Go here for further information.

• Blandy Experimental Farm has awarded Undergraduate Research Fellowships to students interested in ecology and evolution. These fellowships are supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The program is to teach students how to develop testable hypotheses concerning important ecological and evolutionary issues. The program format enables students to build skills in experimental design, data collecting, analysis, and critical reading of primary scientific literature. Students also learn how to prepare and disseminate scientific material to other scientists and the public. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2024. Please visit the website for additional details. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Dr. Kyle Haynes.

• The American Museum of Natural History is offering a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Systematics and Evolutionary Biology. Each summer, the program invites ten students to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for a ten-week internship with our curators, teachers, and post-doctoral fellows. Projects in comparative biology include fossils, genomics, population biology, conservation biology, and phylogenetics and taxonomy. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2024. Please visit this page for more information on the program. Please email if you have any queries or concerns.

• The National Science Foundation has funded the Mountain Lake Biological Station's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU-Sites) program. The program brings together undergraduate students from throughout the country for a ten-week summer program of guided but independent innovative field biology research. The program's scientific focus is population biology, which includes ecology, evolution, and behavior. Students take on leadership responsibilities in all phases of the project, from designing the study and preparing the proposal to collecting data and analyzing the results and preparing a written and oral presentation. The deadline for applications is February 20, 2024. Please click here for additional information on the program. If you have any questions or issues, please contact mlbs-reu@virginia.edu.

Health Opportunities

• The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Gerstner School of Biomedical Sciences are offering for students to join the Mechanistic Biology Summer Program. Ten outstanding undergraduate candidates interested in a career in biomedical sciences will be accepted into the program. This program is intended for students who want to get research experience while investigating fundamental biological topics. Students will be able to study with faculty in developmental, immunological, structural, molecular, cell, and cancer biology. The program welcomes undergraduate students in their freshman, sophomore, or junior year of study at the time the application is submitted. For more insight on the application process, please visit the website. 

• Weill Cornell Medicine is offering current juniors to sign up for the Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program. The program is intended to provide 25 premedical students with valuable insights into the field of medicine, with an emphasis on problems that have a significant impact on the health of historically underserved communities. T-SRF participants learn how to study a specific research subject by participating in laboratory or clinical research under the supervision of a faculty member. Content is delivered on common public health topics such as healthcare for the poor and uninsured, healthcare inequities, research fundamentals, a financial aid presentation, and practical assistance from medical students on the medical school admission process and preparation for the MCAT. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2024. To learn more about this program, click here.

• The Nemours Children's Hospital Biomedical Research department is financing undergraduate students to work on clinical, laboratory, and translational research projects. NSURP is a ten-week program in which participants will learn about human subjects protection and animal welfare issues, research ethics, evidence-based medicine, and clinical and translational research, all while conducting research in the setting of pediatric care. Nemours research experts educate students through the process of developing and testing hypotheses, evaluating data, and reporting outcomes. The application deadline is January 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Visit the official website of the program to learn more.

• Drexel University encourages minority students to apply for the mPOWER summer research fellowship. The Minority Pipeline for Obesity and Eating Disorder Research (mPOWER) fellowship is intended to provide research experience and mentorship to underrepresented racial/ethnic minority individuals interested in pursuing a career in eating disorders and/or obesity research. The mPOWER program will conduct research in the WELL Center for eight weeks during the summer of 2024. The closing date for applications is December 1, 2023. If you are interested, please go to Drexel's website.

• Roswell Park Cancer Center is accepting applications from students who are in their junior year to participate in a summer research program. The program is an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into a specific cancer scientific interest. Students will acquire lab experience in cutting-edge research facilities, as well as participate in weekly lectures on cancer biology and career prospects. You will present your study at the end of the ten-week program in the formal setting of our program research conference and Buffalo Research Day. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2024. Visit here for more information on this summer program.

• The Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease encourages students to apply for the Microbial Friends & Foes REU Summer 2024 program. The nine-week program is designed to introduce students to concepts, research topics, and experimental methodologies critical to understanding microbial interactions with eukaryotic hosts and host responses to microorganisms, as well as to inspire them to pursue careers in science. Participants will be assigned to host labs where they will collaborate with a faculty mentor, as well as graduate student and postdoctoral mentors, to plan and implement an independent research project. The application deadline is February 1, 2024. Visit here for additional information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Railey Jane Savage.  

Postgraduate Opportunities

• The University of Maryland School of Medicine is looking for students to join the Science Training for Advancing Biomedical Research Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (STAR-PREP). The STAR-PREP program is a one-year mentored research training program meant to motivate and prepare recent baccalaureate graduates from underrepresented groups in the biomedical sciences for successful entry into a top-tier graduate program. The program is designed for students who want to gain additional skills to help them get into Ph.D. programs. The program is not intended for students who wish to apply to MD programs. The due date for submissions is January 31, 2024. Check out the website for more details. 

• The National Institute of Health is looking for recent college graduates to participate in the OITE-Postbac Enrichment Program (OITE-PEP). The program's goal is to help diverse students pursue jobs in research and healthcare-related sectors. The positions are full-time research posts in one of the NIH Institutes or Centers (IC) participating in the NIH Intramural Research Program. OITE-PEP candidates participate in orientation, leadership, professional development, and well-being programs as part of a cohort or learning community, in addition to having access to the resources available to other NIH postbacs. The due date for submissions is December 3, 2023. Please visit the NIH website for further information about the program application.

• The Global Sustainability Scholars are looking for graduate students to participate in the Summer Fellowship Program. The program prepares and supports emerging young professionals to work on global sustainable development concerns. Students and young professionals from underrepresented groups will collaborate with top scientists on major sustainability concerns that will plague communities and environments in the future. The GSS Fellows program provides compensated 10-week immersive training and mentoring with a global sustainability organization. Fellows will obtain professional job experience, professional mentorship, and professional development training, as well as a worldwide professional network in sustainable science. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2024. Visit this page to learn more about the program. Please visit the official website to register.

• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is now accepting applications for their 2024 fellowship. The school welcomes applicants from all areas of biology as well as non-bioscience disciplines such as computer science, engineering, math, chemistry, and physics. The program is designed to help early-career scientists do high-risk/high-reward research in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, cancer biology, neurology, plant biology, or computational biology. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2023. Please visit the official website for additional details.