Explore these internship and summer research opportunities.
Nationwide Biomedical Research Internships
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has compiled a catalog of biomedical research opportunities offered nationwide for high school, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and first year medical students. Be sure to check the catalog regularly, as it is frequently updated with new opportunities.
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program.
Department of Chemistry Summer Research Awards
The Department of Chemistry’s summer research awards will support undergraduate students to pursue research with UW Department of Chemistry faculty during summer quarter. This funding opportunity is open to all UW students whether they are currently active in research or have little or no research experience.
UW Undergraduate Research Program
There are research opportunities available year round at the UW and surrounding research locations. The Undergraduate Research Program (URP) database includes several hundred of these undergraduate research opportunities. Be sure to check the database periodically, as new opportunities are continually added.
Clean Energy Bridge to Research
Clean Energy Bridge to Research (CEBR) is a summer research program from the Clean Energy Institute (CEI) at the University of Washington (UW). The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and UW’s Undergraduate Research Program partners with CEI to run the program. CEBR supports a select group of undergraduates and community or tribal college students and teachers to participate in authentic research in solar, energy storage, and grid technologies under the mentorship of UW’s world-class faculty and grad students.
UW Molecular Engineering Materials Summer REU
The University of Washington is home to a national center of excellence for research, education and training in materials science. The Molecular Engineering Materials Center is funded by a $15.6 million, six-year grant from the National Science Foundation. Daniel Gamelin (pictured), UW professor of chemistry is the director of the Molecular Engineering Materials Center.
Academic-Year Research Accelerator Program (AYRA REU)
MEM·C now offers an Academic-Year Research Accelerator for Undergraduates program (AYRA REU). If selected, students will be embedded in one of the MEM·C labs for the academic year. They will work with graduate students and faculty to develop a research project, gain training in relevant techniques and instrumentation, collect data, write-up your results and craft presentations. Students participate in seminars on undergraduate research and professional development, and are also included in MEMC IRG meetings and seminars.
Quantum@UW
The REU Program Quantum@UW is a 10-week NSF-funded research program at the University of Washington in Seattle. It is designed to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research on a variety of topics in Quantum Information Science and Engineering ranging from theory and applications (quantum algorithms, cryptography, and complexity theory) to experiments (quantum hardware technologies and architectures).
Institute for Protein Design
The goal of the Institute for Protein Design is to develop and apply methods for designing a whole new world of synthetic proteins. The Institute was established in 2012 to build upon strengths both within the University of Washington and in Seattle generally. Protein design requires high-level expertise in computing and software, biochemistry, genome sciences, biological structure, pharmacology, immunology and other basic science disciplines, as well as clinical medicine. The Institute for Protein Design was recently awarded $45 million in funding through TED's The Audacious Project. IPD Director, Professor David Baker, and Assistant Professor Neil King are pictured.
Rosetta Commons
Interns in this geographically-distributed REU program have the opportunity to participate in research using the Rosetta Commons software. The Rosetta Commons software suite includes algorithms for computational modeling and analysis of protein structures. It has enabled notable scientific advances in computational biology, including de novo protein design, enzyme design, ligand docking, and structure prediction of biological macromolecules and macromolecular complexes.
Institute for Systems Biology
The Institute for Systems Biology is a nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Seattle. They sponsor a Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences Program to offer undergraduates a paid opportunity to experience research side by side with experts in systems biology.
Fred Hutch Summer Undergraduate Research Program
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is an intensive, nine-week internship designed to provide research experience and mentorship for undergraduate students who are interested in biomedical research. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, interns will complete an independent research project and present their findings at a competitive poster session.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory DOE Summer Undergraduate Laboratory Internships
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funds summer research internship for undergraduate (sophomore to senior) students in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and science policy.
Scan Design Innovations in Pain Research Summer Program
The Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Pain Research was developed to expose undergraduate students to interdisciplinary research in pain to stimulate interest in future careers in pain research.
The Stipends for Training Aspiring Researchers Program
The STAR program is a 12 week summer program that places undergraduates into faculty-mentored laboratories for 480 hours of paid research.
Pfizer Futures
Pfizer Futures provides meaningful real-world experience for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry. With opportunities in each Pfizer division and across multiple U.S. sites, Pfizer Futures interns support their team’s goals and initiatives while building relationships, connecting with leadership, and learning how Pfizer lives its purpose, creating “Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives”. Eligible applicants must be current Freshmen – Seniors at an accredited college or university at time of application.
The 2026 Pfizer Futures application portal(s) will be open from October 1, 2025, to October 31, 2025. Applications and placements for this program are reviewed on a rolling basis. Interview and hiring timelines differ by division.
Chateau St. Michelle Wine Estates
The winery often has Winemaking internships available. Interns conduct basic wet chemistry and enzymatic analysis.