Microbiology Summer Internships: A Guide for Aspiring Scientists

Numerous opportunities exist for undergraduates to gain research experience each summer at various universities throughout the United States or even in other countries. For high school students also exist internships in Microbiology. These programs generally provide students a stipend and some living expenses for the summer. Many of these programs target minorities and women. Many of these undergraduate research programs target students who are interested in pursuing graduate careers (Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.), while others provide clinical training for students interested in a career in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine.

Opportunities for Undergraduates

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites

The American Society for Microbiology offers fellowships for undergraduates who wish to, and have demonstrated the ability to pursue graduate careers (Ph.D.). Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites are sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Lists REU sites that are supported by the NSF throughout the country. Students must contact the individual sites for application information and materials (NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants). Applications are generally due early February to mid March.

Sackler Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Sackler Institute at New York University Langone Medical Center offers a Summer Undergraduate Research Program for qualified sophomores and juniors who are interested in pursuing M.D., M.D./Ph.D. or Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP)

The University of Pennsylvania Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP) is a prestigious 10-week immersive research experience for undergraduate students aspiring to pursue doctoral studies (PhD or MD-PhD) in the biomedical sciences. The program offers a rigorous, hands-on research training opportunity, pairing interns with a Principal Investigator (PI) based on shared research interests. Under the mentorship of PIs and lab members, interns gain critical laboratory and analytical skills essential for graduate school and future careers in biomedical research.

In addition to laboratory work, interns engage in cutting-edge scientific seminars, professional development workshops, and graduate school preparation sessions, designed to enhance their research acumen and academic readiness. The program dates are Monday, June 1 to Friday, August 7 (tentative move-in dates: Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31).

SUIP-CCI (Center for Cell and Immunotherapies), SUIP-CFAR (Center for AIDS Research), and SUIP-PERFORM-KUH (Scholars Kidney, Urology, and Hematology) are affiliated programs with SUIP. Students are selected to the affiliated programs based on their research interests. Applicants do not need to complete a separate application to be considered for these programs. All compensation is the same as the general SUIP. If you would like to be considered for an affiliate program, please indicate which one in your personal statement.

The Center for Cellular Immunotherapies hosts a Summer Undergraduate Internship Program in cancer and cellular immunotherapies. Participating laboratories have the general goal of understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer and developing interventions to improve anti-tumor immunity. The program also offers a specialized track with an emphasis on bioinformatics in cancer immunotherapy. This track focuses on computational and data-driven approaches to analyze immunological and cancer-related datasets and complements the experimental research conducted in participating laboratories. This track also includes a Spring bioinformatics course that is conducted virtually. SUIP-CFAR (Center For AIDS Research) Scholars will engage in mentored HIV/AIDS research. Research topics include HIV basic/translational science, clinical/behavioral science, implementation science, and HIV prevention research. Lawrence B.

Applications for SUIP open on October 1st via the Penn application. All applications are due on February 1st by 11:59 pm Eastern Time. All components of the application, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline. Applicants can submit an application through Penn’s portal or via the Leadership Alliance. Our holistic evaluation process considers all components of the application. The research and personal statement should describe your meaningful research experiences and career goals, highlighting how your personal history and experiences have shaped your motivation to pursue a PhD, as well as the challenges you have overcome in accessing research opportunities.

The letters of recommendation should include at least one from a research mentor, preferably the most recent one. Completed online application form via Penn’s application, or via the Leadership Alliance. In the “Recommendations” section, please provide the contact information for two (2) recommenders. Applicants will be asked to select a graduate group of interest. If applicants are interested in an affiliate program, applicants can indicate their choice in this section. For those applicants interested in PERFORM-KUH the best spot to indicate this is where it asks for your major scientific interests. In a 2-page document (8.5”x11”) with a minimum of 0.5’ margins and at least 11 pt font, describe your meaningful research experiences and career goals, highlighting how your personal history and experiences have shaped your motivation to pursue a PhD, as well as the challenges you have overcome in accessing research opportunities. Your transcript must include all semesters/terms attended at your primary institution. Please also include any study abroad transcripts. Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters from academic faculty who know you personally and can comment on your academic abilities and your aptitude for research are highly encouraged.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to preference mentors based on their research interests. The Office of Research Trainee Affairs Fellows, who are current graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, will serve as mentors for summer interns. Fellows will lead programming, team building activities, and excursions to explore Philadelphia. SUIP sponsors the Summer Seminar Series, a sequence of talks about timely issues in biomedical sciences presented by distinguished Biomedical Graduate Studies faculty. Interns enjoy a variety of events including concerts and performances, trips to local museums, visits to historical sites, and social events with current graduate students and program staff. The University of Pennsylvania has several summer programs and there are many free events on campus that are open to our interns.

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Opportunities for High School Students

Internships provide a host of benefits to high schoolers, particularly in fields like biology. High school biology internships allow students to gain real-world experience in the field and the lab, network with like-minded peers and professionals, and build valuable skills. Internships can also boost a student’s odds of college admissions.

Specific High School Internship Programs

Here are some examples of internship programs available to high school students:

This paid summer apprenticeship program seeks to stimulate interest in biomedical science and medicine careers, particularly in underrepresented groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities, females, and the economically disadvantaged. Participants work on research projects under the mentorship of Monell scientists. The program concludes with apprentices presenting their research at a public conference. The program is extremely competitive-only 18 to 24 students are chosen from hundreds of applications.
This fun, 9-week high school internship is open to New York residents ages 16 and older. Most projects interns undertake involve monitoring Otsego Lake and the Susquehanna watershed, with the bulk of the work focused on water quality and biota. Applicants are required to submit an essay along with two references.
This prestigious summer internship program-just 5 to 10 interns are accepted annually-offers students the opportunity to gain real-world research experience in the life sciences. In addition to research, students meet with mentors, receive standardized test preparation, and get college advice. The program is open to rising seniors from Michigan.
INL provides paid STEM internships to high school students, pairing interns with mentors to develop innovative solutions to real-world projects. In addition to project-focused work, interns participate in enrichment activities like workshops and skill building. Applicants must possess a minimum 3.0 GPA and pass a background check.
This paid summer program sponsored by the American Fisheries Society aims to stimulate interest in fisheries and aquatic science among groups underrepresented in the profession. Opportunities are available in all 50 states, plus Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
SSRP is a great opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to gain real-world, mentored research experience. Participants will work 35 hours a week in groups of eight to ten students in a particular research track. Students also take part in core sessions designed to provide deeper insight into the experimental approach and scientific reasoning.
ASSIP provides high school and undergraduate students the chance to work with researchers one-on-one and gain firsthand experience using cutting-edge equipment and technology. Participants in this free program explore STEM fields while developing a range of valuable skills-from scientific writing to communication.
HiSTEP aims to expand the number of students interested in biomedical and healthcare careers-specifically high school juniors from the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland (DMV) metro area.
YWIS provides research-based education opportunities to high school students interested in STEM.
This opportunity from the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, enables high schoolers to conduct research projects in fields like cancer biology, chemical biology, psychiatric disease, chemical biology, computational biology, infectious disease, and more. The program is open to rising Massachusetts high school seniors with Bs in science and math, and a demonstrated interest in science.
New York City residents interested in urban environmental issues will want to check out this program exploring ecological restoration and urban ecology. Interns work in small crews and earn approximately $2,275 over the course of the summer.
Los Alamos National Laboratory offers a number of STEM internship opportunities to rising high school seniors from northern New Mexico. Applicants must be over the age of 16, a second-semester junior at the time of applying, and a senior during the internship.
This program is aimed at students interested in health sciences, statistics, and computational sciences-its goal is to nurture future leaders in translational medical research. Participants dive into fields like genomics, bioinformatics, and digital medicine.
This eight-week summer program is open to high school juniors from Marion County, Indiana, public schools interested in science.
This competitive paid internship is aimed at students entering their senior year who are from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical science. The program is divided into two parts-the first two weeks are focused on training in laboratory techniques and skills, and the following six weeks are devoted to mentored activities such as lab meetings and work.
This summer program provides participants with the opportunity to perform real-world scientific work-conducting a research project and working as a member of a biomedical research team. Students also participate in workshops and present their findings at seminars. Some students have even had their names included on published research papers or have patented and sold inventions developed with their mentors.
Current high school juniors who live within a 25-mile radius of New York City will want to look into this summer program that provides hands-on laboratory and research experience. Interns are expected to work full-time (40 hours a week), usually from 9 am to 5 pm or 10 am to 6 pm, over the course of the program. Students receive a $1,200 stipend for their participation.
Interns engage in hands-on research, develop their technical skills, build scientific knowledge, and hone valuable skills like critical thinking.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. This highly flexible program is designed to be accessible to a wide range of students. You will complete your internship remotely, from anywhere in the world, and there are internships available throughout the year, so you can easily plan around your other commitments-you can expect to work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks.
The Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology (iCLEM) aims to introduce economically disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors to biotechnology, microbiology, and biofuels. The internship is open to students from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties.
This Bay Area program combines activities like wildlife monitoring and habitat restoration with community building, service learning, and exploration.
High school juniors in Western New York interested in a future in science will want to explore this opportunity. Students gain firsthand experience with lab work, receive classroom instruction on cancer basics, and participate in a number of professional development events.
This prestigious summer program focused on genetics and genomics research is held at both Jackson Laboratory’s Bar Harbor, Maine, campus, as well as its Farmington, Connecticut, campus. Admission to this program is competitive-only 36 students were accepted from 498 applicants. Of accepted students, just one was in high school.
The goal of this summer internship program is to support and encourage young people to pursue careers in healthcare and biomedical research. Students conduct lab work side by side with experienced scientist mentors and peers. Applicants are welcome from anywhere in the US and its territories, however, applicants are required to secure their own housing and transportation to the laboratory.
Approximately 40 high school sophomores and juniors are chosen annually to conduct research in biology, agriculture, environmental science, and natural science as part of this program. Young Scholars work one-on-one with faculty on an individual research project and prepare a journal-quality paper and symposium presentation about their work.

The Impact of Internships on College Admissions

Extracurricular activities such as internships play a considerable role in admissions decisions at many colleges. Firstly, schools will consider the prestige of the internship. Highly selective internships, or ones associated with well-respected colleges and universities, will be seen as more impressive achievements in the eyes of admissions officers. Secondly, the work you do during your internship might be considered. Admissions committees will look more favorably upon students who were able to work hands-on during their internships and contribute to research in some way. Finally, an internship will carry more weight in your application if it aligns with your application theme. CollegeVine’s free admissions calculator can help you gain a better understanding of how participation in an internship influences your odds of college admission.

Additional Opportunities

Don Danforth Plant Science Center

Ann & Robert H. Don Danforth Plant Science Center (St. John A.

Astrobiology REU

Students will work with scientists at the SETI Institute and at the nearby NASA Ames Research Center on projects spanning the field of astrobiology.

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REU in Biophysics

The University of Michigan Biophysics REU Program provides selected undergraduate students from around the United States an opportunity to conduct ten.

Washington University School of Medicine

Washington University (St. Washington University School of Medicine (St.

Amgen Scholars Program

The Amgen Scholars Program is designed to recruit exceptional students interested in careers in biological and biomedical sciences with an intensive 1.

UMMS Postdoc Preview

Washington University School of Medicine (St. UMMS Postdoc Preview introduces upper-level graduate students in the biomedical sciences to the rich opportunities for postdoctoral research and traini.

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