Summer Internship Program

BSI-SIP is the Dean-funded “umbrella program” of the Summer Internship Program divisions, incorporating research opportunities in all our basic science departments: Biological Chemistry; Biomedical Engineering; Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry; Chemistry/Biology interface; Cell Biology; Molecular Biology and Genetics; Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology; Neuroscience; Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences; and Physiology.

Past BSI-SIP Scholars have participated in a broad array of projects from molecular and cellular analysis of the aquaporin water channels, molecular genetic basis of Down syndrome, genomics, neurobiology of disease, applications of polymeric biomaterials to drug delivery, gene therapy, and tissue engineering.

On top of an experience filled with substantive hands-on research, program activities include one-on-one mentorship from current graduate student mentors, journal club participation, and a range of professional development workshops and seminars on topics that include preparation for graduate studies and navigation of scientific careers. The program concludes with presentations by BSI-SIP scholars at a closing research symposium.

In addition to the opportunities mentioned above, BSI-SIP has an affiliated sub-program focused on neuroscience. Students participating in this program will be invited to BSI-SIP programming and housed with BSI-SIP students, while also enjoying some additional field-specific programming: 

NeuroSIP 

Summer interns in the NeuroSIP program are hosted in the laboratories of the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute at Johns Hopkins (Kavli NDI). Kavli NDI bridges neuroscience, physics, data science, computational neuroscience and engineering to solve the mysteries of the brain. NeuroSIP supports summer internships for undergraduate students considering graduate studies in neuroscience, engineering, data science and related areas. In addition to general SIP programming, NeuroSIP students enjoy neuroscience-focused programming and other content designed to help them delve deeper into this exciting field of study. 

BSI-SIP / Neuro-SIP Eligibility

All BSI-SIP applicants must have a demonstrated interest in the pursuit of graduate study toward a PhD or MDPhD degree. Applicants must have completed at least two years of college by the start of the summer program. BSI-SIP is open to US citizens and permanent residents.

The NeuroSIP sub-program prefers candidates on the PhD track, without an interest in pursuing clinical medicine. Students applying to NeuroSIP must have completed at least one, but no more than three, years of college by the start of the program.  All eligible students, particularly first-generation students and students at institutions without large research programs, are encouraged to apply.

Students interested in being considered for NeuroSIP must choose BSI-SIP on their application and then select the NeuroSIP options when they appear. You will still be considered for the BSI-SIP parent program as well. 

The Careers in Science and Medicine Summer Internship Program (CSM SIP) is the undergraduate component of the Johns Hopkins Initiative for Careers in Science and Medicine (CSM Initiative). The CSM Initiative seeks to develop scholars from low-income (<200% of the federal poverty level) backgrounds and who are overcoming other life challenges to help them build the accomplishments, skills, network, and support necessary to achieve advanced careers in biomedical, medical, health-related, and STEM professions. Scholars spend 10-weeks immersed in research in their chosen mentor’s lab. They do experiments, participate in lab meetings and seminars, and engage in discussions and activities that stimulate them to integrate knowledge, practice analytical and communication skills, and ‘think on their feet’. CSM SIP students prepare posters and present their research at an end-of-summer symposium attended by all JHU summer programs, including other undergraduates and high school participants in basic and clinical research programs

CSM-SIP Eligibility

• CSM SIP scholars must come from households with collective incomes that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty limit. This amount is normalized by household size and can be found in the Federal ASPE website: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines

• Scholars must also meet at least ONE of the following Other Eligibility criteria,
• First generation student to attend a four-year college
• Attended a high school where the majority of students qualified for the Free and Reduced Meals Program or resided in a location that is designated within the zoning area of an eligible school.
• Student has experienced a major obstacle that could impede educational achievement. For example, the student could have experienced a form of homelessness, including not having a stable home residence, or come from a single parent household or a household where a family member has dealt with major health issue, addiction, or incarceration. 

• Scholars must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the summer program
• Scholars must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected] 

Opportunities in the Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) on one of our four program areas: Vascular Biology, Stem Cell Biology, Immunology or Neuroregeneration. Program participants may participate in a broad array of projects from computational biology, gene regulatory networks, immune system development, lymphoid malignancies, molecular and cellular mechanisms of oxygen regulation, molecular and cellular signals controlling neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, single cell biology, stem cell modeling, gene and stem cell therapies, MRI cell tracking techniques, or stem cell engineering. The rich environment and guidance by our faculty helps prepare students for successful careers as independent research scientists. Interns are expected to participate in all student related activities in ICE, conduct research and write a small progress report at the end of their internship or present their work in a poster session at the end of the program. This is a ten-week program that includes housing and a stipend.

ICE-FARMS Eligibility

Students must have completed two years of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. Successful applicants to the FARMS program will have at least a 3.8 GPA. Students that do not have access to in-depth research at their current institution are encouraged to apply.

Founded in 2005, the mission of the Institute for Computational Medicine is to develop mechanistic computational models of disease, personalize these models using data from individual patients, and apply them to improve disease diagnosis and treatment. ICM researchers work in four different application areas. Computational Molecular Medicine seeks to understand the function of highly interconnected molecular networks in health and disease. This knowledge is applied to enhance discovery of molecular disease networks, detection of disease, discrimination among disease subtypes, prediction of clinical outcomes, and characterization of disease progression. Computational Physiological Medicine seeks to develop highly integrative mechanistic models of biological systems in disease, spanning from the levels of cells to tissues and organs. These models are personalized using patient data and apply them to improve disease diagnosis and treatment. Computational Anatomy is an interdisciplinary area of research focused on quantitative analysis of variability in biological shapes in health and disease. It is applied to imaging data to develop anatomic biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Computational Healthcare analyzes large-scale data sets from the electronic health record to discover new ways of improving individualized patient care.  

The twenty ICM core faculty are appointed in departments of the Whiting School of Engineering, School of Medicine, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our interdisciplinary labs offer students the opportunity to work with faculty in these four different research areas. Opportunities exist to work on computational, as well as combined computational and experimental/clinical studies. This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain research experience in the emerging discipline of computational medicine and would be of great benefit to those interested in pursuing graduate research in this area or in attending medical school. 

ICM Eligibility 

The Institute for Computational Medicine is dedicated to providing opportunities to students in STEM. Students must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. Students majoring in computer science, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology and/or biophysics are eligible. While not required, we seek candidates with some combination of experiences in scientific or academic research (C++/Python/*nix/databases, software engineering, object-oriented programming, and/or collaborative development). 

Kidney disease represents a significant growing threat to public health. Unfortunately, efforts to find effective prevention strategies and innovative new treatments have been hampered by a paucity of kidney disease researchers. Traditional workforce recruitment methods are drying up, and low awareness of kidney disease has made it difficult to attract talented scientists outside of nephrology and medicine from other spheres of science, despite major technological and conceptual advances in the kidney science field. We present a program to address this need, focusing nationally on talented undergraduate students broadly interested in biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering.  

This program, Johns Hopkins Summer Undergraduate Program in Kidney Science (SUPerKS), leverages the unique resources of a preeminent university to provide trainees with innovative research opportunities, mentoring by leaders and rising stars in the field, exciting didactic and problem-based training experiences, clinical immersion, intellectual enrichment activities, team-building and social events over the summer. SUPerKS operates within the Kidney Physiology and Precision Medicine Center, which brings together a highly dynamic group of investigators from clinical and basic science departments within the JHU Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Engineering to work on kidney science challenges. Other innovations include a kidney-focused curriculum, mentorship training, and an institutionally funded administrative office that is devoted to supporting summer internship programs. At the end of the training cycle, the trainees and their projects are celebrated in a summer programs event at Johns Hopkins. Students also travel to present their work and meet participants in the other programs funded by this mechanism. SUPerKS trainees exit the program with an appreciation for the value of research, improved interpersonal-communication skills, and a more sophisticated understanding and appreciation of the kidney. After 5 years of operation, the SUPerKS program should train 40 talented students advancing toward careers in the biomedical sciences, especially in the kidney science fields. 

SUPerKS Eligibility Criteria:

• At least 18 years old 
• US Citizen or Permanent Resident (Note: NIH funds our program, and we are obligated to accept only US Citizens or Permanent Residents) 
• College graduates are not eligible (Our program is open to current undergraduate students only) 
• Current CV or Resume 
• At least one year of college 
• At least one semester of general chemistry and biology (or AP equivalent) 
• Official college transcripts for each undergraduate institution attended, with a GPA greater than 3.0
• Two letters of recommendation (faculty and/or research mentors preferred)
• Two personal statements:

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].