Several established summer programs provide Princeton students, as well as students from other colleges and universities, with the opportunity to obtain hands-on research experience in specific fields. You can search the database below for research program opportunities that match your interests.
The ACEE Summer Internship Program provides competitive funding that supports undergraduate research on energy- and environment-related projects, particularly field work and laboratory research. Internships are offered for research projects working under the guidance of a faculty adviser on campus, or with non-profit organizations off-campus. Internships typically last from eight to ten weeks. Opportunities exist for students from disciplines outside of engineering, including social sciences and natural sciences, and students from these departments are encouraged to apply.
This program is designed to introduce undergraduate students to research and applications at the interface of engineering and the life science. In addition to undertaking a research project in an academic lab, students will also receive basic training and experience in communicating their research findings. Students will also be exposed to academic and industry career paths in Bioengineering. Student participants will be part of a cohort of 10-20 other students working on a range of Bioengineering research projects across campus. Students will have the opportunity to interact with a cohort of fellow Princeton and visiting undergraduates interested in Bioengineering (including the Princeton iGEM team), participate in activities including an industry visit, tour of Princeton Innovation Center Biolabs (PICB), training in best practices in scientific communication, and participate in a end of year poster session and reception. Rising sophomores through rising seniors are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted via the Google form linked here.
The Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES) at Princeton University in collaboration with NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) recruits students for 8-9 week research internships in atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science. Interns will work on a focused scientific problem under the close supervision of their GFDL/Princeton host, and benefit from resources and activities at GFDL, including interaction with scientists and graduate students, access to high performance computing and library facilities, and opportunities to participate in a wide range of seminars and GFDL social events.
The Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton offers the Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship (PIT-SF) program that is aimed at rising juniors and seniors attending school in the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT UN). Students interested in getting first-hand experience working on technology policy at the federal, state, and local level are encouraged to apply.
This program is offered to undergraduates of underrepresented institutions interested in hands-on mentored research experience through the summer months. The proposed research project will aim to illustrate recent advances in the application of machine learning to molecular dynamics simulations based on quantum-mechanical electronic structure theory. The students will apply these techniques to gain insight into systems of interest in chemistry and materials science.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering provides eligible ECE majors (sophomores and juniors) competitive funding for on-campus summer internships. Internships are offered for research projects working under the guidance of an on campus, ECE faculty member or closed related ECE faculty member. Internships span over the course of nine weeks and are paid through a weekly stipend. These internships are directly supported by the Johnson ’64 Slingshot Fund and the Michael Reed Summer Research Gift.
The Keller Center’s eLab Summer Accelerator Program at Princeton University is a launch pad for student startups. The program is open, by application only, to some of Princeton’s brightest and most dynamic students. The eLab is based in the new Entrepreneurial Hub at 34 Chambers Street in downtown Princeton. Over a period of ten weeks student teams work intensively on their startup ideas, following a specialized entrepreneurship curriculum presented to them during a 3-day intensive boot camp. The teams also attend meetings and workshops, and receive valuable mentorship and advising through a network of Keller Center faculty, staff, seasoned entrepreneurs and technology experts, all with the goal of developing their startup ideas into viable, scalable ventures.
The eLab Summer Associate internship is a fabulous opportunity for Princeton students interested in entrepreneurship and startups but aren't quite ready to launch their own venture. Students will be exposed to all aspects of startup business activities as well as participate in a variety of workshops, social events, and meetings over the course of the 10-week program. Make new friends, learn about startup life, and have a fun, exciting summer right here in Princeton!
The Global Health Scholars Program provides outstanding Princeton students with funding for travel and research to pursue health-related internships and senior thesis research, both in the U.S. and abroad. This competitive program, administered by the Center for Health and Wellbeing, is open to students from all departments.
The Environmental Internship Program based in the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) offers Princeton undergraduate students the opportunity to complement their academic course of study with hands-on research and project experiences during the summer months. Students who wish to expand their knowledge of global environmental problems are encouraged to apply.
The International Internship Program (IIP) offers summer internships to first years, sophomores, and juniors. IIP offers opportunities in 50 countries across various regions and in a wide range of industries including business and consulting, public policy, education, health, community engagement, and research-based internships in all academic fields. Students accepted to an IIP receive a financial award to help cover expected costs of living in their host country.
Princeton’s Center for Health and Wellbeing offers undergraduate summer internship positions that explore multidisciplinary aspects of global health and/or infectious disease. Internships are fully-funded and are available in the U.S. and around the world.
The John C. Bogle ‘51 Fellows in Civic Service program (Bogle Fellowship) is a funded opportunity available exclusively to Princeton first-year students and was developed to support student participation in service or civic engagement pursuits during the summer before sophomore year.
Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts is honored to provide funding through an award established in memory of Alexander Jay Adam ’07. The Alex Adam ’07 Award, made possible by a generous gift from his family, will provide support to undergraduates who want to spend a summer pursuing a project that will result in the creation of an original work of art.
The Ludwig Princeton summer internship program will provide hands-on training to conduct research on the molecular events leading to the onset and progression of cancer. In addition to participating in cutting edge cancer research in laboratories at Princeton University or the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, students will have opportunities to attend lectures by cancer researchers. Tours of research facilities and participation in molecular tumor board meetings will provide rare opportunities to observe how scientific discoveries are translated into effective medicine and improved patient care.
MAE SPRE provides the opportunity for students to explore engineering from the research perspective and gain insight and experience that does not result from classroom learning. Students are exposed to different types of research that are being pursued by the faculty. A general outline of the summer project is jointly developed by the student and faculty adviser. Part of the criteria for selection involves a brief written proposal for a summer project of academic merit as well as a faculty sponsor who endorses the proposal.
Now past its twentieth year, this program offers interdisciplinary research experience in leading laboratories to students majoring in the physical or mathematical science or engineering at colleges with limited research opportunities. The program is open only to non-Princeton students. Each student serves as a research assistant in the laboratory of a Princeton faculty member who serves as a mentor and research adviser. The program directors, in consultation with training faculty, match student interests to available projects. The Molecular Biophysics REU Program also has an international research opportunity.
This REU Training Site has the mission to support formerly incarcerated undergraduate students in gaining research experience in computational biology, the principles of scientific thinking, and research scholarship. Eligible applicants include those who have US military service and students over 30 years of age, and all groups that have been historically excluded in STEM education and employment. Students accepted into the 9-week REU program will be assigned to and join a participating faculty mentor and their research group. REU interns will also be supported by Princeton University's Prison Teaching Initiative team for weekly meetings with larger groups of summer interns to discuss experience, reflections, or any topic of interest. The program also offers weekly meetings to discuss general topics of interest including quantitative thinking, the scientific method, research ethics, data analysis and interpretation, graphical analysis, oral and written presentations, resume building, and STEM careers and graduate study, as well as contemporary social issues related to science in general. REU interns will find that their first few weeks will be filled with intensive training in computational workshops, data organization, code documentation, scientific reasoning, and conduct. The 9-week summer program will be completed by the submission of formal written report on their research and an oral presentation.
A variety of student employment opportunities are available for Princeton undergraduate students with the Office of Sustainability in the summer months.
OURSIP provides a limited number of grants to Princeton freshmen and sophomores (and occasionally juniors) who have independently created or secured an unpaid faculty-mentored research internship over the summer. Proposals must come with a strong faculty endorsement to be considered for funding.
PCCM's REU program provides opportunities for undergraduates to carry out research at the forefront of materials science and engineering.For 9 weeks the REU students work on projects under the guidance of faculty from the departments of Physics, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Summer research positions are arranged informally, with students approaching individual faculty members. After students have arranged summer employment with a faculty adviser, the Department Representative will award fellowships to selected students in acknowledgement of their initiative and achievements. Preference is given to physics majors and prospective physics majors.
The Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) invites applications for its Undergraduate Fellowship Program. This competitive fellowship will provide recipients with a grant of up to $7,500 to pursue a project or initiative that promotes collective understanding of other countries and/or that addresses global challenges. Fellows will be part of a cohort that will meet several times throughout the academic year. Professor Rory Truex, director of the PIIRS UG Fellows program, will advise UG fellows on their projects and convene group meetings. The goal of the PIIRS Undergraduate Program is to provide students with the opportunity to build leadership skills and advance regional understanding by creating their own project or initiative. We are open to a range of proposals, including (but not limited to) the following: organizing talks or a conference, creating a documentary film, supporting an international service project, creating a podcast or Youtube channel, or anything else that improves regional knowledge and understanding at Princeton and beyond. Be creative and think big!
The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 16 participating DOE laboratories. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.
Princeton Astrophysics runs the Undergraduate Summer Research Program in which students carryout research projects under the supervision of faculty and postdoc advisors. Students selected for this program (similar to a REU program) can participate in projects with a range of levels of difficulty and sophistication, spanning all of experimental, observational, theoretical, and computational astronomy. In addition to gaining valuable experience in research, a great way to explore pursuing a career in the field, the program also organizes weekly colloquia and seminars to teach the students about many aspects of astronomical research.
iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition, where undergraduates design a project and engineer living cells to perform new functions. The Princeton BioE iGEM team is a 1-year time commitment for ~10 students. The team will participate in the competition by designing a research project over the spring semester and carrying it out in the summer, before traveling to present it at the iGEM Jamboree in the fall.
Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) is an alumni founded program with the John H. Pace, Jr. '39 Center for Civic Engagement that provides Princeton undergraduates paid summer internships in nonprofit organizations. As PICS interns, students live into Princeton’s informal motto, "in the nation's service and the service of humanity," by:
-Engaging in meaningful service opportunities
-Serving with community partner organizations across the United States
-Connecting academic lessons to real-world problems -Developing leadership skills
The Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) is offering a summer internship program for highly motivated visiting undergraduates, providing education and hands-on research experience in the field of neuroscience. Participants will closely collaborate with students and faculty at the PNI on original research projects, and thereby gain invaluable first-hand experience on what it is like to be a neuroscientist. Summer interns will also participate in group educational activities, including weekly foundational overview lectures from PNI faculty, lab meetings with the researchers with whom they will work, journal club reading groups, plus special forums on topics such as career advice and graduate school application preparation.
Service at Princeton is about responding to the needs of the world. Those needs have become more visible with the Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian lives lost to the pandemic, police violence, and citizen vigilantism. Persistent, recent, and continuing acts of systemic racism are calling us to address inequalities and injustices and particularly anti-Blackness.
Princeton RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality) pairs undergraduate and graduate students with community organizations to foster students' enduring and sustained commitment to civic engagement.
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Program has funding available for summer grants to Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Program juniors for internships in governmental or non-profit organizations in public policy or international affairs.
Princeton University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, in partnership with Intel, invites rising college juniors to apply to participate in a research experience program focused on computer security. We seek students interested in research and welcome applicants from all majors, with a preference for students majoring in computer engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. Research experience is not required. Students chosen for the program will spend the summer at Princeton University conducting computer security research under the guidance and mentorship of a Princeton faculty member, with active mentoring from researchers at Intel. Participants also have access to follow-up programming through Intel in the subsequent year.
The Derian Summer Internship is a faculty-mentored and community-informed research internship program administered by ProCES. Derian supports collaborations between faculty, undergraduate interns, and community experts. Interns support faculty in discipline-specific or discipline-spanning research or practicing artistry that is being conducted in collaboration with, and that directly benefits, locally, nationally, or internationally-located community partners and that facilitates the growth of students as community-engaged scholars.
The program provides ReMatch+ participants an opportunity to carry out a paid graduate- or postdoctoral-mentored research project over the summer as well as engage with a diverse community of student researchers.
The Education Research Section is announcing the Summer 2023 Research in Education Policy Internship. This full-time 7-week program, will run in June and July and is open to all Princeton undergraduates, will introduce interns to both quantitative and qualitative research in education through students assisting with ongoing Education Research Section research projects related to education policy. Activities will include participation in a weekly seminar series, training in multiple research methods used in education policy, and exposure to current issues in education policy and research.
The Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI) is designed to encourage, support and prepare the nation’s top students to pursue careers in the U.S. government, both in international and domestic agencies. SINSI offers an internship program to Princeton sophomores and juniors and a graduate program to Princeton seniors and MPA1 students. Admitted interns will work with the program directors to find a 8-10 week internship the following summer in a SINSI-funded federal government internship. The graduate program includes the 2 year MPA program and between the first and second year, a SINSI funded 2-year fellowship at a federal government agency.
The Princeton University Office of the Dean for Research offers an eight-week internship in science writing for the general public. The intern writes news articles, feature articles, web content and other items in the style used by major newspapers and magazines. The intern may also produce podcasts and video segments, and use social media.
The Streicker International Fellows Fund was established in early 2015 by John H. Streicker ’64 to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to carry out substantive research or educational projects while immersed in a foreign culture. Streicker Fellows design their own projects or internships in conjunction with a hosting organization, in any academic or professional area, and in any geographic region outside of the United States. These projects or internships provide students with exceptional opportunities for intellectual and personal growth through a combination of work or research and immersion in a foreign culture.
The Mathematics Department expects to support approximately 10 undergraduate mathematics majors for a summer research program. The program's goal is to provide math majors with the opportunity for reading and study in areas of math that are not part of the regular program of courses offered by our department. Each student will work under the direction of a faculty member in the Math Department.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows in Chemistry - Leach Summer Scholars Program (SURFC-LSSP), supported by the generosity of the Leach Endowment Fund for Student Research in the Sciences, is a nine-week summer research session for Princeton students who have completed the freshman or sophomore year, and who are interested in majoring in chemistry.
SURFC provides unique laboratory experiences for qualified undergraduates, placing each student into research groups directed by our well-respected Faculty. For nine weeks the undergraduate summer researcher becomes part of the group, working side-by-side with post-docs, graduate students, and other undergraduates. Each student has the opportunity to play a part in cutting-edge research and be a contributing member of the research team.
Each summer, the Department of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics provide intensive laboratory research experiences to a select group of Princeton undergraduates. Each student joins a world-class research group—headed by a Faculty member and carries out an original research project. Participants are immersed in a culture of close collaboration with other undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty, and thereby experience first-hand what it is like to be a scientist.
The Summer Work Program offers students summer internships in Germany. Students interested in summer research opportunities in the humanities, natural sciences, economics, computer science as well as interdisciplinary projects are encouraged to apply.
The Office of International Programs lists a variety of scholarship and fellowships for undergraduates. The awards are for study, research, or internships that take place or begin during a student's undergraduate career. In some cases, postgraduate study is a component of the award.