The Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Database includes a list of primarily off-campus summer research opportunities available for undergraduate students.
Please note - This is not an exhaustive list of all summer opportunities. Though we actively manage and update this database, there are likely many opportunities, both on-campus and external, that our office has missed.
This database is maintained by the Illinois Office of Undergraduate Research. If you have any corrections, suggestions, or would like to add an opportunity to our database, please email ugresearch@illinois.edu.
How to use
Most students choose to filter by "Research Area" and leave the "Keywords" field blank. You can also search using keywords; however, we recommend the use of general keywords (broad search terms) for best results (e.g., "chemical" instead of "crinine and haemanthamine alkaloids".)
Press "Apply" to apply these filtering criteria and update the list of opportunities shown.
Block Reference
Search for opportunities
| Research Opportunity | Research Area | Opportunity Timing | Deadline Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program (MICHHERS) This opportunity is designed for rising seniors, from diverse cultural, economic, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds to consider pursuing a doctoral degree in the humanities. Students will learn the latest methodologies and developments in their field, develop a research project, and will receive practical instruction on applying to graduate school. |
Humanities & Arts | Summer | Anticipated 2/11/25 |
| SHyNE REU Program SHyNE Resource has developed a unique REU program providing facilities‐focused research projects for four undergraduate students. Research projects are developed in close collaboration between SHyNE facility staff and Northwestern faculty. This combination of a traditional REU research experience with the hands‐on instrumentation focus provides an opportunity for students to learn new skills and enrich their experience. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/13/25 |
| Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) REU CNF REU offers interns hands-on experience with nanofabrication, collaboration with academia and industry researchers, training on diverse nanofab tools, and the chance to become independent nanoscale researchers. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/13/25 |
| FBRI Molecular Visualization SURF Program The FBRI Molecular Visualization SURF program is a 10-week long summer program that gives students the opportunity to participate in research using imaging technologies to understand appropriate application of each technology in understanding biological processes. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/13/25 |
| Robert F. Smith Internship Program at the National Museum of African American History & Culture Internships provide guided learning experiences consisting of hands-on training, mentoring, attendance at educational events, and cultivation of contacts for the next generation of researchers, scholars, curators, and other museum, library, preservation, and heritage professionals – individuals who will assume the mantle of identifying, documenting, curating, and digitizing treasured artifacts that reflect African American history and culture. |
Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences & Behavior | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| DOE Scholars Program Participants in the DOE Scholars Program will have the unique opportunity to explore a career in the federal government with the DOE. The program covers a wide range of fields including: Energy Sources and Security, Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Climate Change, Environmental Management, Nuclear Security, Artificial Intelligence, Emergency Response, Management and Operations, Cyber Security, and Safeguards and Security. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| REU in Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis This program offers an immersive, 10-week summer research experience for current freshman, sophomores, and juniors in the areas of Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis. These topics are increasingly valued in industrial and academic settings due to the environmental concerns associated with conventional catalysts, feedstocks, and solvents. Participants in this program will have the opportunity to design, conduct, and optimize green chemical transformations while receiving hands-on research mentorship from a faculty member within ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences. Additionally, this program offers professional development and networking opportunities that prepare undergraduate participants for graduate studies, industrial positions, and non-traditional career paths. |
Natural Sciences, Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Synthesis, Assembly, and Characterization of Soft Matter REU Cleveland State University's REU calls for undergraduates interested in physics and engineering for a 10-week interdisciplinary soft matter research, fostering STEM pathways with mentoring and networking. |
Medicine & Health, Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Cellular and Molecular Biology of Stress Summer Research Program The Cellular and Molecular Biology of Stress Summer Research Program provides immersive, full-time bioscience research and professional development for undergraduate students as they prepare for graduate school and research careers in biology. |
Medicine & Health, Natural Sciences | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Pediatric Student Research Program (PSRP) The Pediatric Student Research Program (PSRP) was created with the purpose of introducing research to young investigators and to further their existing interest in research. The program includes seminars, mentored research and clinical shadowing experiences during the eight-week scenario, June through July. Selected participants work alongside experienced researchers. Opportunities range from bench to clinical to community-based research. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Psychology Research Experience Program (PREP) - UW Madison PREP provides experience in scientific research to undergraduates from historically underrepresented populations who have an interest in a career in scientific psychology. The program features mentored laboratory research (approximately 30 hours/week), intensive “bootcamps” on technical skills (e.g., R and Python programming), and faculty presentations. |
Social Sciences & Behavior | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| NSF-REU Biological Interactions Summer Research Program - UW Madison Through this 10-week summer research program students will contribute to research examining the contributions of genetics and the environment on an organisms phenotype. There are a wide range of projects under this umbrella from botany and entomomlogy to medical genetics and biomolecular chemistry. |
Natural Sciences | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Toxicology (SURE Tox) program The SURETox program aims to match participants with mentors, enhance research skills, offer didactic training, prepare students for presentations, provide networking opportunities, and share information about careers in toxicology. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Archaeology Field School in Peru This 3-credit course for Illinois students is an archaeological field school where students have the opportunity to engage in original research at the archaeological site of Cerro Blanco, a Chancay Administrative Center located in central Peru. |
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Behavior | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Plant Health REU Discover diverse paid summer internships at Kansas State University, spanning plant pathology, genetics, horticulture, engineering, and biochemistry. Work on cutting-edge research projects with expert faculty in labs, greenhouses, and fields. |
Natural Sciences | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) – Singapore In collaboration with the Institute for Mathematical Sciences (IMS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), IPAM recruits U.S. students to work on cross-cultural teams with students from NUS and other Asian universities on four projects, each sponsored by a company based in the region. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Summer Geometry Initiative The Summer Geometry Initiative (SGI) is a six-week paid summer research program introducing undergraduate and graduate students to the field of geometry processing. Geometry processing has a long history of breakthrough developments that have guided design of 3D tools for computer vision, additive manufacturing, scientific computing, and other disciplines. Algorithms for geometry processing combine ideas from disciplines including differential geometry, topology, physical simulation, statistics, and optimization. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Pathways to Computing Internship Program This 10-week summer program that provides undergraduate students with learning opportunities in computer science, computational science, and mathematics. Students will be mentored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory research and technical staff. |
Data Science, Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Program for Research in Markets & Organizations (PRIMO) at Harvard Business School Harvard offers a 10-week summer opportunity for students interested in management and business research. A wide variety of research areas are available, including accounting, finance, marketing, technology and operations management, business-government relations, and entrepreneurship. |
Business & Economics, Social Sciences & Behavior | Summer | Anticipated 2/14/25 |
| Amgen Scholars Program at NIH Amgen Scholars at NIH spend the summer working side-by-side with some of the world's leading scientists, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |
| Summer Research Internship in Medical Sciences at University of Missouri School of Medicine Through this nine-week program, participants will work on their own research projects under the guidance of an MU School of Medicine faculty member and present results at a poster forum at the end of the session. Participants will learn how to write abstracts and design posters to prepare for the poster forum. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |
| Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) Explore computing research with DREU, a selective program offering summer research, mentorship, and insights into graduate studies for undergraduates. |
Science & Technology | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |
| Research and Education for the Advancement of Compassionate Healthcare (REACH) Program The REACH program is a summer clinical research immersion for healthcare-focused undergraduates. It includes research exposure, medical school preparation, and a mentorship-based cohort to foster peer relationships. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |
| Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program (LSSURP) The LSSURP at the University of Minnesota aims to boost underrepresented students in life sciences. It offers a 10-week research program, mentorship, and activities fostering professional growth, culminating in a poster symposium. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |
| National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Summer Internship Programs NINDS offers students the opportunity to receive mentoring from leading neuroscience investigators, conduct individual cutting-edge research projects, and learn about the use of information technology in biomedical research. Students will present their research to the scientific community at NIH's Annual Research Poster Day for Summer students. |
Medicine & Health | Summer | Anticipated 2/15/25 |