Undergraduate Opportunities

Research Opportunities

There are many opportunities for students to carry out research in the laboratory of a faculty member in MCDB. A broad spectrum of state-of-the-art research activities is performed at Yale in the MCDB department and in related departments including the Yale School Medicine. This research is in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, physiology, computational plant sciences biology, and evolution. All interested students are encouraged to participate in research.

Fellowships & Educational Opportunities

Summer Internship Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (opportunity for sophomores and juniors)

Program Overview
The program goal is to expose college science students (who will be juniors or seniors in the fall of 2025) to the rewards of laboratory research directed toward solving important public health problems. The overall mission of our program is to recruit qualified students for graduate-level training leading to research careers in the biological sciences. Interns apply state-of-the art technology in their own research projects under the direction of a Harvard faculty member. Research projects focus on biological science questions that are important to the prevention of disease. Disease areas include infections (tuberculosis, malaria, Chagas disease), cancer, lung diseases, multifactorial, multigenic and common diseases of aging, diabetes, obesity, etc.  Scientific approaches include regulation of cell growth and gene regulation, cellular metabolism, DNA modification, cellular signaling, structure-function analyses, etc.

Program Dates:

The 2025 Summer Intern Program runs from Monday, June 2 to Friday, July 25, 2025.

Eligibility:

To qualify for this Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health sponsored program, applicants must meet the criteria below:

  • Applicants must be 18 years or older
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the U.S. (proof of permanent residency must be provided)
  • Applicants must be from an underrepresented group in graduate research, which includes: first generation college students (neither parent nor legal guardian has a bachelor’s degree) or students from an economically disadvantaged background as defined by the U.S. Department of Education (requires additional supportive documentation). Eligibility is not restricted on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin, and race, ethnicity and national origin are not considered in the selection process.
  • Applicants must be undergraduate students in their sophomore or junior years when applying
  • Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Applicants must have a basic science background and have taken several classes beyond intro level courses
  • Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in public health, specifically laboratory research

Funding:

Financial support over the course of 8 weeks includes a stipend of $3,600, a travel allowance of up to $600 and free dormitory housing at Massachusetts College or Art (located a short walk away from the T.H. Chan School of Public Health).

Application Deadline:

The deadline to apply for the 2025 Summer Internship Program is Friday, February 7, 2025 at 11:59 (EST). All application materials must submitted by this date and time.

For additional information about our Summer Internship Program, please contact us at bph@hsph.harvard.edu.

2025 Summer Research Program for Undergraduates at Rutgers University 

This program provides the opportunity for undergraduates interested in Ph.D. degree programs and a career as a scientist\researcher in biomedical sciences to perform supervised research in one of the following biomedical sciences: To be considered for the program you must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent resident.

Only complete applications will be reviewed.
Maximum of 10 qualified candidates will be accepted.

Click here to apply

Stipend for the 10-week program
$4,000 for students without housing
$3,000 for student with housing
For additional information and application email: lucyle@gsbs.rutgers.edu or visit  2025 Summer Research Program

Research Assistant - Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School  

We are currently looking to hire 1 full-time research assistant (RA) to join us at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. We also anticipate posting for additional hires in the spring.

The RA will assist with NIMH-funded studies aimed at improving short-term risk prediction for suicidal behavior in youth. We are particularly seeking candidates who demonstrate the character, integrity, and work ethic to excel in a collaborative work environment with a clinically sensitive population. Studies assessing proximal risk for suicidal behavior use computational methods to model neurocognitive markers and/or ambulatory indices (i.e., mobile technology including actigraphy, passive sensing of physiological arousal, passive sensing of social engagement and physical activity, and ecological momentary assessment) in psychiatrically hospitalized youth (see R01MH137793, R01MH124899, R01MH115905, K23MH126168). Additional studies focus on employing computer vision to identify visual indicators of suicide risk among adolescents (R21MH127231, YIG-1-020-20). We also have studies aim to examine how parent-child stress interactions may be associated with or protect against suicide risk in adolescents using automatic sensing of acoustic and visual behaviors (R21MH130767); automate identification of social stressors in social media that may serve as proximal predictors of suicide-related outcomes (K24MH136418), and develop suicide risk prediction algorithms with electronic health records for minoritized youth (P50MH129699).

The RA will work under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Liu and Dr. Taylor Burke at Massachusetts General Hospital. This position is particularly well suited for individuals seeking to gain research and clinical experience prior to graduate or medical school. RAs who demonstrate potential and excel in this position often have opportunities to receive mentorship on conducting independent research projects and grant-writing. More details about these opportunities and a list of our RAs’ 1st author papers and extramural grants from their time in our lab may be found here.

Application information: The start date is summer 2025. Interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and CV through this link. Any questions may be directed to Devika Goel at mghmoodandbehaviorlab@gmail.com.

Hospital and Healthcare Leadership Fellowship – Hale County Hospital

The Hospital and Healthcare Leadership Fellowship at Hale County Hospital in Greensboro, Alabama offers recent graduates a unique, year-long opportunity to immerse themselves in the intricacies of healthcare while serving a rural community. This hands-on program is designed to deepen Fellows’ understanding of healthcare systems, hospital operations, and community health, all while developing leadership, communication, and patient care skills.

Life as a Fellow

Fellowship dates: June 23, 2025 – July 17, 2026

Shared housing and utilities provided free of charge.

Educational grant awarded to partially offset expenses related to your service year.

Application

Please visit halecountyhospital.com/gap-year for additional information and to access the online application.

Deadline: February 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST Deadline: February 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST

Accepting applications for the Ph.D. program in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Wesleyan University

The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MB&B) Department at Wesleyan University is home to a vibrant community of researchers who study various cellular processes at the molecular level, using approaches ranging from microscopic imaging to X-ray crystallography. Our PhD students benefit from generous NIH and NSF support for instrumentation and other resources rivaling those at larger universities, and a low student to faculty ratio that promotes one-on-one training.  Although not required, as a premier liberal arts institution, graduate students have the opportunity to teach and train undergraduate students, honing their teaching skills and enhancing their professional development. Our students graduate ready to enter their chosen fields as emerging leaders.

Training in our department is complemented by strong interactions with two interdisciplinary programs, Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Genomic Sciences, which offer students diverse research training opportunities.  Both programs provide a framework for exciting collaborations between the MB&B, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics departments.  

PhD students at Wesleyan University are supported by a yearly teaching or research stipend ($43,176 for 2024/25) and a tuition waiver.  Students are also encouraged to present their work at regional and national conferences with department and university support. Application to the PhD program is free. Wesleyan University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented groups.

Faculty interests are given below and further information is available online at https://www.wesleyan.edu/mbb/grad_studies/index.html. Please send queries to Mary Readinger (mreadinger@wesleyan.edu).

2025 Wu Tsai Undergrad Fellowships

Are you interested in doing research at Yale next summer? 

The Wu Tsai Undergraduate Fellowships program is an opportunity for Yale undergraduates to perform cutting-edge research at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, computer science, and engineering. Students from any major and any level of research experience are invited to apply!

Examples of research areas include the impact of trauma on memory, human-robot hide-and-seek games, and how fruit flies estimate distance. 

The deadline to apply is February 23, 2025, at 3:00pm EST, through the Yale fellowship portal. 

Wu Tsai Undergraduate Fellows conduct research with a Wu Tsai Faculty Member from May 27 – August 1, 2025. They participate in weekly workshops, seminars, and social events and present their work to the Wu Tsai Community during a closing symposium. We provide a competitive funding package.

The program is open to first-years, sophomores, juniors, and non-graduating seniors interested in interdisciplinary research of relevance to cognition or in neuro-related computing or engineering. Students do not need to have prior research experience before applying. We particularly encourage applications from students from diverse backgrounds or life experiences.

Applications consist of a CV, a statement of purpose, a diversity and inclusion statement, a letter of recommendation, and the names of up to three Wu Tsai Faculty Members you would be interested in working with (you can use our Email Template to reach out to prospective faculty). Students who have already pre-identified or are working with a Wu Tsai Faculty Member can also apply. 

Any questions? Feel free to schedule office hours with me, WTI’s Program Manager, or reach out to liz.knapp@yale.edu.

Science Journalism Opportunities for Students 

NUCSJ is hosting a hybrid, free conference on February 8, 2025 from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm EST with a focus on the impact of undergraduate research journals and the impact of science journalism on future careers. This is a great opportunity for students to hear advice from experienced researchers in science, participate in panels with faculty and journalists from around the nation, and interact with students from universities around the tri-state area.

The location for the conference will be at Columbia University, though students may join virtually as well (we highly encourage in-person attendance!). To learn more and register for our conference, please register here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Subin B Shetty sbs2239@columbia.edu or Neha Mani (nm3307@columbia.edu).

Opportunity for Seniors

Cancer Research Opportunity Summer 2025 - Application Deadline February 1

Students are invited to apply for the NIH/NCI-funded (5 R25CA023944-40) Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program. The program offers a unique opportunity for pre-doctoral students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, and pharmacy to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. Students participate in basic or clinical oncology research, a core lecture series designed specifically for them, as well as research and clinical conferences. All participants make a PowerPoint presentation on their research project and submit a report on their research project written in the style of a journal in which their faculty mentor publishes.

A primary goal of the POE program is to encourage students to pursue a career in cancer research. Thus, we are particularly interested in highly qualified students with a serious career interest in cancer research, either as a clinical scientist or laboratory-based research scientist. Our St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers training in leading-edge scientific fields paired with unique mentoring in the St. Jude clinical experience. Highly motivated POE students will have the opportunity to be considered for admission to the St. Jude Graduate School upon completion of their undergraduate degree.

All POE program applicants must already have research experience and be full time students at the time they apply. Applicants must be United States citizens, non-citizen nationals, or possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States (required by the funding agency). All must be in at least their college sophomore year of college at the time they apply. POE medical students spend a minimum of 10 weeks in the program. The minimum tenure requirement for all others is 11 weeks. All POE applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.40 (on a 4.0 scale) in math and science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and at least a 3.40 overall. Program participants will receive a $600/week subsistence allowance. Fully furnished group housing will be provided at no cost for non-local participants.

The POE home page contains links to the program application. The deadline for receipt of all 2025 application materials is February 1, 2025. Early application and submission of materials is highly recommended.

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