Summer internships are a great way to further your education and get additional hands-on experience. Most summer internships are performed in government facilities, in universities with large graduate programs, or in pharmaceutical companies, giving you a glimpse inside these arenas to see if you'd like to work there permanently or perhaps attend graduate school there. Summer internship opportunities happen all over the country, so you can stay local for the summer or explore a new part of the country. These summer programs generally pay between $3000 and $6000 for 10 weeks of research work in a lab or facility and usually include housing and travel expenses.
Most summer internships are designed for students finishing their sophomore or junior years, although advanced freshman are also encouraged to apply. Most application deadlines are in February and require an essay, resume, and letters of recommendation, so start early if you're interested in applying.
Check out the links below or the Biology bulletin board on the 1st floor of Building E to explore the various summer internship opportunities available. This list is not exhaustive so feel free to Google your favorite research organizations or schools to see if they have summer opportunities available. Also, the Pathways to Science search engine is a great resource to search for summer internships by topic or discipline.
See Dr. Jennifer Louten (Room E-108) for more information or help with internships.
Jump to:
Biomedical Research Internships
Ecology and Marine Biology Internships
Evolutionary Biology Internships
Bioinformatics Internships
Biomedical Research Internships:
AAMC List of Internships (Various locations): List of internships for undergraduate students pursuing an education in medicine. Varying dates in 2013.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York, NY): The program is designed for undergraduates with a strong background in science who are considering a research career. 2013.
Amgen Scholars (Multiple Universities in the US and Europe): The Amgen Scholars Program provides hundreds of undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in a hands-on summer research experience at some of the world's leading institutions.2013.
Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX): The Summer Medical and Research Training Program is for undergraduate students who
are interested in exploring a career in scientific research. Up to 80 students are
recruited for the SMART Program from across the nation. 2013.
California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA): biochemistry, bioengineering, bioinformatics, chemical and biomolecular engineering,
biopsychology, biotechnology, chemistry, immunology, medical pharmacology, microbiology,
molecular genetics, molecular medicine, molecular pharmacology, molecular, cell, and
developmental biology, neurobiology, neuroscience, pathology, physiological psychology,
physiological science, statistics, toxicology. 2013.
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (Atlanta, GA): Summer neuroscience research experience. "Some accepted Fellows will be working at
the molecular or cellular level in laboratories, others will be working with small
animals and some may be collecting data and doing research at outdoor field sites." No 2013 program.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) (Atlanta, GA): Student Educational Employment Programs 2013.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Long Island, NY): Independent research projects in Cancer biology, neuroscience, plant biology, cellular
and molecular biology, genetics, and computational biology. 2013.
Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO): "a wide range of areas, including protein structure and function, transcriptional
mechanisms, molecular neurobiology, regulation of gene expression in a chromatin context,
cancer biology, plant biology, embryonic development, diabetes, cytoskeleton dynamics,
and virology." 2013.
Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH): Research experience for undergraduates in Molecular and Cellular Biology. 2013.
Department of Energy (Several locations including Chicago, Long Island, Idaho, California, New Mexico,
Tennessee, and Washington): Over 400 student internship positions in various biological, computing, and engineering
fields. Internships are available for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. 2013.
Emory University (Atlanta, GA): Anesthesiology | Anthropology | Biochemistry | Biology | Cell Biology | Chemistry
| Dermatology | Developmental Biology | Emergency Medicine | Environmental Studies
| Genetics | Health Sciences | Immunology | MathCS | Medicine | Microbiology | Neuroscience
| Obs. and Gyn. | Oncology | Ophthalmology | Orthopedics | Pathology | Pediatrics
| Pharmacology | Physics | Physiology | Population Biology | Psychiatry | Psychology
| Rehab. Medicine | Surgery | Urology | Vaccine Center 2013.
Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA): Undergraduate summer research projects in cancer biology, immune cell function and
host defense, women's cancer. 2013.
Fred Hutchingson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA): Students spend a nine week period as part of a research team after selecting an area
of interest, such as: cellular biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology,
genetics, membrane biology, molecular biology, molecular immunology, structural biology,
oncogenes, or virology. 2013.
Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School (New York, NY): Our faculty conduct research in all areas of biomedical sciences including developmental
biology and genetics; signals and pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation;
cell-cell interactions, adhesion, and protein targeting; tumor immunology, immunotherapy,
and transplantation biology; genomic integrity and human cancer genetics; drug development,
drug resistance, and clinical therapeutics; and chemical biology and structural biology;
among others. 2013.
Georgia Health Sciences University (Augusta, GA): Biomedical research in "Alzheimer's disease, brain development, bone metabolism, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, hypertension, cancer, apoptosis, inflammation and viral infection, to name a few." 2013.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA): Projects are available in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, physical, and polymer chemistry. 2013.
Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Internships (Atlanta, GA): nanotechnology research projects across the spectrum of nanotechnology fields: Electrical
Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical
Engineering, Biology, and Biomedical Engineering. 2013.
Hepatitis B Foundation (Doylestown, PA): Biomedical research in the context of hepatitis B virus and liver cancer. 2013.
Indiana University, Bloomington (Bloomington, Indiana): Molecular biology and genetics. 2013.
The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine): Science writing, bioinformatics and computational biology, cancer, developmental biology
and aging, genomics, immunology, metabolic diseases, neurobiology. 2013.
Joslin Diabetes Center (Boston, MA): Diabetes-related biomedical research, ranging from clinically focused to basic science
investigation. 2013.
Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA): biochemistry, microbiology, plant biology, and zoology & physiology; nutrition and
preventative medicine; veterinary medicine. 2012.
Maine Medical Center (Scarborough, ME): "The research at MMCRI covers a broad area in biomedical science including vascular
biology, stem cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, hematology, nephrology,
tumor biology and molecular genetics." 2013.
Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN): Biomedical research in a variety of biological fields. 2013.
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) (Charleston, SC): Many research areas, including Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Cancer Biology, Drug
Discovery, Genetics, Marine Biomedicine, Microbiology, Immunology, and Regenerative
Medicine. 2013.
MIT (Boston, MA): "Biological Engineering, Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Center for Environmental
Health Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, the Health Sciences and Technology,
Mechanical Engineering (for bioengineering/biotechnology only), and the Picower Center
for Learning and Memory." 2013.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Various sites in Maryland and Washington, DC): "Research investigation in a highly enriched environment that is devoted exclusively
to biomedical research and training." 2013.
New York University School of Medicine (New York, NY): Students may work with faculty in the disciplines of biochemistry, biomedical imaging,
cellular and molecular biology, computational biology, developmental genetics, immunology,
microbiology, molecular oncology, neurosciences and physiology, parasitology, pathobiology,
pharmacology, structural biology and virology. 2013.
North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics. 2013.
Rockefeller University (New York, NY): a broad range of areas including biochemistry; structural biology and chemistry; molecular,
cell and developmental biology; immunology; virology and microbiology; neuroscience;
physics; and mathematical biology. 2013.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Buffalo, NY): "Selected students will be assigned to laboratories of graduate professors in molecular
biology, biophysics, genetics, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, biochemistry, immunology,
or pharmacology as your choice of research interest and training indicate." 2013.
The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA): Immunology and Virology. 2013.
Stanford School of Medicine (Palo Alto, CA): Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biomedical Informatics, Biology, Biophysics, Cancer
Biology, Chemical & Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Immunology,
Microbiology & Immunology, Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Neurosciences, Structural
Biology. 2013.
University of Alabama, Birmingham (Birmingham. AL): Genetics research program. 2011. NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA): Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Cell and Developmental Biology, Computational
Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Plant and Microbial Biology,
Structural Biology, Synthetic Biology. 2013.
UCLA (Los Angeles, CA): social sciences, life sciences, health sciences. 2013.
University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA): Biology, Molecular Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biological Sciences, Microbiology,
Biochemistry, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Bioengineering, and Neurosciences. 2013.
University of California, San Francisco (San Francisco, CA): Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biological Informatics, Cell Biology,
Clinical Research, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Pharmacogenomics.
2013.
University of Georgia Department of Microbiology (Athens, GA): Exciting projects will address diverse topics in Prokaryotic Biology. Please join
our program and enjoy the first-rate UGA research and recreational facilities. 2013.
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): This unique program provides research opportunities in the laboratories of faculty
who belong to the graduate programs in Genetics, Immunology, Molecular & Cellular
Biology, and Neuroscience (including Neuropsychology). 2013.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pittsburgh, PA): Immunology. 2012.
University of Florida (Tallahassee, Florida): Wide range of biological science experiences. 2013.
University of Minnesota (Saint Paul, MN): Molecular Genetics and proteomics, neuroscience, microbiology. 2012.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC): Immunology. 2013.
University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY): Many health science disciplines. 2013.
University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama): Structure and function of proteins. 2013.
University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX): UTMB has 21 departments offering research opportunities for students interested in
almost any area of biomedical research. These include, but are not restricted to:
Molecular biology, toxicology, biochemistry, immunology, physiology, virology, genetics,
microbiology, pharmacology, and marine biology. 2013.
University of Virginia School of Medicine (Charlottesville, Virginia): Immunology, Virology, Genetics, Biomarkers, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cancer
Biology. 2013.
University of Washington (Seattle, WA): Biology, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Engineering, Pathology, Pharmacology,
and Genome Sciences. 2013.
Vanderbilt Integrative Cancer Biology Program (Nashville, TN): "focuses on the analysis of cancer as a complex biological system. Researchers within
each ICBP center utilize the integration of experimental biology with mathematical
and computational modeling to gain new insights into the biology and possible management
of cancer." 2013.
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Amgen summer scholars program. A variety of world-class biomedical research programs.
2013.
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Biomedical Research Apprenticeship Program (BioMed RAP). A variety of world-class
biomedical research programs. 2013.
Marine Biology and Ecology Internships:
The Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA): research internships in botany, fisheries, ichthyology, malacology (the study of mollusks),
stream ecology. 2011.
The Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA): volunteer internships (not paid). 2012.
Bigelow Laboratory for Marine Science (Boothbay Harbor, Maine): many Marine Biology fields. 2013.
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): The internship program involves students in laboratory-based Plant Genome Research
Projects (PGRP). 2013.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) (Atlanta, GA): Student Educational Employment Programs 2013.
College of Charleston (Charleston, SC): environmental bioindicators, algal physiology, acid-base physiology, respiratory physiology,
immunology, population genetics, and evolutionary biology of marine organisms. 2013.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab (Northern Gulf Coast, Alabama): Marine ecology. 2012. Not available 2013.
Department of Energy (Several locations including Chicago, Long Island, Idaho, California, New Mexico,
Tennessee, and Washington): Over 400 student internship positions in various biological, computing, and engineering
fields. Internships are available for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. 2013.
Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA): Aquatic chemical ecology. 2013.
MIT (Boston, MA): "Biological Engineering, Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Center for Environmental
Health Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, the Health Sciences and Technology,
Mechanical Engineering (for bioengineering/biotechnology only), and the Picower Center
for Learning and Memory." 2013.
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (Mount Desert Island, Maine): Laboratory training includes techniques in molecular biology, physiology, and bioinformatics.
Projects generally include the comparative study of a marine animal such as a shark,
skate, or sea urchin. While most projects are laboratory-based, some include a field
component. 2013.
Organization for Tropical Studies (Costa Rica): designed for advanced biology students interested in conducting tropical field research
under the supervision of an experienced tropical ecologist. 2013.
Shoals Marine Laboratory (Isles of Shoals, Maine): Seabird conservation internships, Research internships in field science (marine and
ocean biology). 2013.
Stony Brook University (Stony Brook (Long Island), NY): Molecular ecology, evolutionary ecology and fishes, microbiogeochemistry. 2010. Not Available 2013.
University of Rhode Island (Narragansett, RI): Oceanography. 2013.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) (Gloucester Point, VA): Internships are available in many areas of marine science, including biological, geological,
chemical, and physical oceanography; environmental science; fisheries; and resource
management. 2013.
Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience (St. Augustine, FL): Marine Bioscience. 2013.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA): Marine Biosciences. Open to undergraduates having completed their Junior or Senior
years. 2013.
Evolutionary Biology Internships:
The Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA): evolutionary systematics, paleontology, natural history and museum studies. 2011.
The Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA): volunteer opportunities. 2012.
American Museum of Natural History (New York NY): conduct research projects with AMNH scientists in evolutionary biology. 2013.
California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco, CA): phylogenetic systematics and evolutionary biology. 2013.
Fred Hutchingson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA): Students spend a nine week period as part of a research team after selecting an area
of interest, such as: cellular biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology,
genetics, membrane biology, molecular biology, molecular immunology, structural biology,
oncogenes, or virology. 2013.
University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): Diverse topics relating to evolutionary biology. 2011. Not Available 2013.
Bioinformatics Internships:
California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA): biochemistry, bioengineering, bioinformatics, chemical and biomolecular engineering,
biopsychology, biotechnology, chemistry, immunology, medical pharmacology, microbiology,
molecular genetics, molecular medicine, molecular pharmacology, molecular, cell, and
developmental biology, neurobiology, neuroscience, pathology, physiological psychology,
physiological science, statistics, toxicology. 2013.
Department of Energy (Several locations including Chicago, Long Island, Idaho, California, New Mexico, Tennessee,
and Washington): Over 400 student internship positions in various biological, computing, and engineering
fields. Internships are available for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. 2013.
Harvard FAS Center for Systems Biology (Boston, MA): "learn a range of cutting-edge genomics or bioinformatics techniques." 2013.
Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa): "provide undergraduate students majoring in sciences and engineering with an introduction
to Computational and Systems Biology. No prior experience in these fields is required.
" 2010. Not available 2013.
The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine): Science writing, bioinformatics and computational biology, cancer, developmental biology
and aging, genomics, immunology, metabolic diseases, neurobiology. 2013.
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) (Charleston, SC): Many research areas, including Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Cancer Biology, Drug
Discovery, Genetics, Marine Biomedicine, Microbiology, Immunology, and Regenerative
Medicine. 2013.
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (Mount Desert Island, Maine): Laboratory training includes techniques in molecular biology, physiology, and bioinformatics.
Projects generally include the comparative study of a marine animal such as a shark,
skate, or sea urchin. While most projects are laboratory-based, some include a field
component. 2013.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Buffalo, NY): "Selected students will be assigned to laboratories of graduate professors in molecular
biology, biophysics, genetics, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, biochemistry, immunology,
or pharmacology as your choice of research interest and training indicate." 2013.
University of Washington (Seattle, WA): Biology, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Engineering, Pathology, Pharmacology,
and Genome Sciences. 2013.
Vanderbilt Integrative Cancer Biology Program (Nashville, TN): "Develop and validate a robust, predictive mathematical model of cancer invasion,
parameterized and informed by state-of-the-art experiments. In the long term, the
model has the potential to predict prognosis, to optimize treatment for various cancers,
and to guide the design of novel therapeutics." 2012.
