Summer Research Internships

Marica Thomas and Dr. Bob Poage

In addition to the internship opportunities listed here, additional opportunities, including job information, can be found on these Biology Department web pages: Sites for finding Jobs and Internships and Careers in Biology.

  • Adventure Camp guides and counselors may be needed at Camp Hannon in Sunset, South Carolina (in the Blue Ridge Mountains and 30 minutes from Brevard, North Carolina). Last year's guide and counselor positions were paid $475 - $525 per week (plus lodging, meals, and a sickness/accidental insurance plan). It's unclear from the website whether positions are open for the 2025 summer camp. Positions can count toward internships. Training and certifications are provided. Counselors will work with youth ranging in age from 10-16. Program activities include: rock climbing, rappelling and ropes course, whitewater rafting, axe throwing, wilderness training and natural resources instruction, and canopy tour/zipline. Applicants must be pursuing a BA or BS in Parks and Recreation, Natural Resources or related field and show leadership qualities and serve as a role model for campers. 
  • BeeMore -- Bees and Microbes in Organized Research Experiences at NC State University.  This is an eight-week, paid ($500 per week, plus housing and food allowance) summer program that runs from May 24-July 27, 2025.  Undergraduates will explore diverse topics that highlight the importance of bees as pollinators, the role of pollinators in crop productivity, the importance of microbes in earth ecology, and the specific role of microbes in bee health and disease.  Deadline for applications is January 31, 2025.
  • Biomedical Engineering and Informatics Summer Research Internship Program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine: 10-week paid, competitive program for undergraduates. Students will complete faculty-mentored research, write a research abstract, present their work, and will have opportunities to see their work published. Program includes $5500 stipend and on-campus housing. Program runs from May 26-August 1, 2025. Deadline for applications is January 24, 2025.
  • Friday Harbor's REU for undergraduates (Research in Integrative Biology & Ecology of Marine Organisms): 8-week paid ($500 per week, plus financial support for lodging and round trip travel) program in marine research at the University of Washington's field station in the San Juan Islands. This is a full immersion research experience for motivated undergraduates and post-baccalaureates. Program runs from the middle of June 15-August 9, 2025. Applications through the NSF ETAP Portal will open January 20, 2025. Application deadline is February 15, 2025.
  • Georgia Southern University's RESCoPE (Research Experiences in Southeastern Coastal Plain Ecosystems) NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program is a 10-week paid program for students to engage in independent research with a departmental faculty mentor. Fellows are paid a weekly stipend ($6500), receive free housing on campus, and receive a meal plan with the university. Students are able to network with faculty, graduate students, and a number of program partners from governmental entities and NGOs in the southeast. Program offers professional development to growing researchers through field trips, expert-led panels, and funding for presentation at a scientific conference. Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate program and eligible to enroll during fall 2024. Program runs from May to July 2025. Application deadline is March 1, 2025. 
  • Georgia Southern University's  post-baccalaureate program in Mentoring and Research for Careers in Coastal Science (MROC2S) is a year-long, paid program for students who have recently completed their undergraduate degree. Program runs from August 2024 to July 2025 and pays $39,000 for the year. Awardees will work with a faculty advisor to complete an independent research project, and will attend departmental seminars, trainings, and workshops to grow as developing researchers. Regional field trips will be taken to expose awardess to a variety of southeastern coastal ecosystems and to interact with state, federal, and not-for-profit scientific entities to learn more about research as a career path. Application deadline is April 1, 2025.
  • HBCU/MIHE Summer Internship Program is a paid, ten-week program that engages and educates students by giving them tangible, real-world experiences, professional development, leadership training, and networking opportunities. Applications are open to rising juniors, seniors and graduate students. Interns work for $15 per hour for 40 hours per week for 10 weeks. 
  • Integrative Microbial and Plant Systems Undergraduate Research Experience is a 10-week, paid summer program at NC State University, in which students engage in faculty-mentored research focused on questions about plant-microbe interactions in the face of climate change and global food security hardships. Participants receive housing on campus, travel expenses when applicable, food allowance, and a $6250 stipend. The program is open to rising sophomore, junior and senior undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest in molecular biology.  Program runs from May 20-July 28. 2024.  Deadline for applications is February 15th, 2025.
  • Missouri Botanical Garden's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in Plant Systematics, Conservation Biology, and Ethnobotany: 10-week, paid ($600 per week, plus food and housing) for independent mentored projects. Participants will have access to the Garden’s herbarium, botanical library, garden collections, laboratory facilities, and the Shaw Nature Reserve.  Program runs from June 2 – August 8, 2025.  Deadline for applications is February 28, 2025.
  • Mountain Lake Biological Station's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU-Sites) program in Virginia: ten-week, paid ($7000) summer program of guided, independent, original research in field biology.  Program covers room and board, project budget, and travel to and from the station.  Program runs from May 27-August 2, 2024. Deadline for applications is February 20, 2025.
  • National Science Foundation's Education and Training Application (NSF ETAP) portal allows you to search for multiple research experiences for undergraduates (REU) and to upload application materials that can be used for multiple REU programs.
  • Native American-Serving Institutions Program is an 8-week paid summer position at one of eight Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) offices around the country. Open to undergraduate students in any field of study, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.  UNCP Biology alumna Denise Salvetti, MPA (USDA/APHIS/LPA and Office of National Tribal Liaison), manages this program on the UNCP campus. 
  • Native American Summer Research Internship (NARI) in health sciences in Utah.  Paid 10-week summer research internship for Native American junior and senior undergraduates who are interested in Health Science research. Each student will participate in approximately 40 hours/week of internship activities. Approximately 30 hours/week will be for research related activities, and approximately 10 hours/week will be for academic/professional development. Program runs from May 27 - August 1, 2025. Deadline for applications is January 31st, 2024.  Click here for an online application.
  • North Carolina Botanical Garden at UNC-Chapel Hill will hire 8 summer interns. Positions are available in the garden's Conservation, Horticulture, and Learning & Community Engagement departments. These positions are great opportunities for professional development and hands-on experience in sustainable gardening, plant identification, plant propagation, ecology, natural land management, botany, or education. Internships run from mid-May to mid-August. Deadline for applications, based on the internship, ranges from February 7th to February 12th. Positions are also available for two summer camp educators, and the deadline for educator applications is February 22, 2025.
  • The Office for Community & Civic Engagement in partnership with the SECU Public Fellows Internship Program has numerous paid, summer internship opportunities, such as working with housing authorities, district attorneys, nonprofit organizations, and more. To apply, go to this web address -- tinyurl.com/SECUinternships --, and you will be immediately directed to the UNCP job site portal, called Handshake.
  • Resilience and Adaptation to Coastal Change Across Communities (C2C) is a NSF REU 10-week, paid summer research experience for undergraduates. Students will take part in team-based, hands-on research at the Coastal Studies Institute on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Interdisciplinary projects will span research in the natural and social sciences with faculty mentors from East Carolina University, Clemson University, and the University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo. Students will receive a $6000 stipend, and participants who travel to ECU for the REU will be provided housing and compensated for meals via a cost of living stipend (equivalent to approximately $340/week). The program runs from May 27 - August 1, 2025. Deadline for applications is January 25, 2025. Apply through the NSF ETAP portal. 
  • Science Enrichment Preparation (S.E.P.) Program is an eight-week, honors-level academic enrichment program that targets first-generation, underrepresented minority, rural, and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged undergraduate students (rising sophomores and juniors) who seek admission into medical school or dental school. Scholars will receive educational supplies, lodging on the UNC Chapel Hill campus, limited travel expenses (contingent upon funding) and a competitive stipend. Program runs from May 21 - July 18, 2025. Regular decision application deadline is March 9, 2025. Applications are reviewed on a rolling admission basis. The sooner your application is completed, the greater your likelihood of acceptance.
  • SPIRE Undergraduate Summer Research Program. 10-week paid ($6000) research experience for undergraduates. Available only to sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 (minimum GPA of 2.5).  Offers innovative research at UNC Chapel Hill and development of professional skills as a scientist. The program will run from May 20 - July 26, 2024.  Deadline for applications is February 28, 2024.  Housing is provided.  
  • Summer Internships in Animal Behavior at Indiana University in Bloomington. Usually 10 weeks. No program will be offered during summer 2024, but the program will reopen for summer 2025.
  • Summer Systematics Institute 2025 at the California Academy of Science has internships for undergraduates.  The 10-week paid ($6,250, plus housing and travel) program features a state-of-the-art research facility and museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, with the first week spent at University of California Point Reyes Field Station.  The program runs from June 2 - August 1, 2025.  Deadline for applications is February 7, 2025.
  • TECBio REU Program in Computational Biology is a 10-week paid program at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) that involves quantitative analysis and computer modeling across multiple scales (e.g., molecules, cells, tissues, organisms, and populations). Program offers a $6250 stipend, housing, travel, and VR equipment. Deadline for applications is February 14, 2025.
  • Tropical Ecology and Evolution, Puerto Rico is a REU 10-week paid, faculty-mentored summer research program in the tropical rainforest and the El Verde Field Station of Puerto Rico. Financial support includes stipend, round-trip plane ticket (up to a maximum), housing, and food allowance. 
  • The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) usually has some undergraduate summer fellowships.
  • NASA Undergraduate Internships.
  • The National Science Foundation has listings of numerous summer research opportunities, especially Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), across the country.
  • Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. www.turpentinecreek.org
  • Sciencejobs.com lists regular jobs and some internships/short-term jobs.
  • Smithsonian Research Training Program. 10-week internships, typically 24 positions available.
  • Student Conservation Association. Internships and volunteer opportunities in our National Parks. 
  • Wildlife summer internships in North Carolina are offered by a variety of organizations and programs, including the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.  Internships range from outdoor activities (e.g., watershed management) to indoor activities (e.g., developing educational materials).
    More opportunities are listed under the photograph below
Cheyenne Lee
  • WIScience Phenotype, Genotype, and the Environment at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has 10-week paid ($7000) summer research internships for undergraduates; round-trip travel to Madison, housing, and partial meal plan are included.  Program runs from May 28 - August 3, 2024.  Application deadline is February 15, 2024.
  • U.S. Department of State for internships and job experiences.

Graduate School Information:

  • Assistance for Beginning Graduate Students: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides three years of financial support for students at or near the beginning of graduate studies.
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