Every summer, WashU students learn and contribute to research by working closely with faculty or participating in research projects at the university.

Advanced Summer Program for Investigation and Research Education (ASPIRE)

ASPIRE is an intensive summer research opportunity for undergraduates from any institution who are interested in clinical research. Coursework, mentored research, and professional development programming all take place on the Medical Campus.

Accessible Summer Research (ASSURE) Fellowship

The ASSURE fellowship provides college students from the St. Louis metro area an opportunity to engage in basic, clinical, and/or translational research projects. Under the mentorship of a Department of Anesthesiology faculty member, ASSURE fellows will work on projects in a lab or clinical setting, meet with mentors, attend journal clubs, engage in professional development opportunities, receive assistance with graduate school preparation planning, and gain valuable research experience.

Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Summer Research Programs

DBBS offers opportunities for undergraduates to experience the outstanding cutting-edge research at WashU and in the St. Louis area.

Institute for Informatics Summer Research Program Internships

The Institute for Informatics offers summer internships to undergraduate and graduate students from various backgrounds. Students will have the opportunity to work under the guidance of faculty mentors and research scientists in a program that focuses on the support and elevation of biomedical informatics through research translation and practice.

Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program

The Institute for Public Health offers a summer research program that exposes undergraduate, graduate, and medical students to public or global health research in a lab or field-based setting.

Siteman Cancer Center Summer Research Program

The Leah Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program is designed to provide students with hands-on cancer research experience for 10 weeks over the summer. Opportunities range from basic science research to clinical research to prevention/control and population research.

Summer Research Program for Medical Students

The EMERGE program at the WashU School of Medicine is a six-week program that provides an introduction to emergency care research and emergency medicine careers for medical students. Participants will be paired with emergency medicine faculty to complete an emergency care research project. Didactics focused on emergency care methodology and career pathways will be combined with shadowing opportunities. 

TL1 Predoctoral Clinical Research Program

TL1 is an intensive two-month summer research opportunity, beginning June 1 and ending July 31, for allied health graduate students from any institution who are interested in clinical research. Coursework, mentored research and professional development programming all take place on the Medical Campus.

WashU ENDURE

The ENDURE program is a two-year opportunity consisting of both summer and academic year activities that prepare undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for neuroscience PhD programs. We combine outstanding research training, a rigorous curriculum, and an empowering support system so participants thrive on their path to graduate school and beyond. With support from the NIH Blueprint ENDURE initiative and WashU, accepted students are funded for up to two years and for trips to the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Additional research opportunities

WashU faculty are distinguished for their research and creative activities. Summer research funding is available through the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the office also provides a list of additional summer research opportunities you can explore.