Juan's List of Summer Research Opportunities in Physics and Astronomy for Undergraduates

This page contains links to summer research opportunities for undergraduates in Physics and Astronomy. These programs are often called "REUs" because the National Science Foundation funds these programs as "Research Experiences for Undergraduates". While I review NSF's full (searchable) list of REU programs across all disciplines, this page focuses on just Physics and Astronomy and may be incomplete! I try to add other (non-REU) programs offering summer research/internships as I find out about them. Please email me if there is research or internship experience program missing here that you would like to see added.

SUGGESTED READING: A good article on the REU application process is available at the Astrobites Blog. While focused on Astronomy REUs, it is very applicable to any science-oriented REU program.

Most Recent Changes (February 23, 2023 at 14:21:28 UTC): The following programs have announced application deadlines in the last 2 weeks. This is the last update for the Summer 2023 season.:

Summer Research Opportunities whose Application Deadlines have not passed

There are 0 programs with deadlines that have not yet passed listed below (NOTE: 0 of these programs have deadlines after February 1 but only 0 after March 1). This list is automatically sorted in order of application deadline as determined from the program website.

Summer Research Opportunities whose Deadlines have Past or are Unknown

There are 116 programs whose deadlines for this season have past and 2 programs with unknown deadlines (possibly they are awaiting funding information from the NSF). They are listed below.

Programs with Applications Deadlines for Summer 2023 that have Past:

(Deadline was 19 November 2022) Students interested in computational astrophysical simulations on some of the world's most advanced computers.

(Deadline was 02 December 2022) Students interested in research experiences in physics, chemistry, biological sciences, geochemistry, materials science and magnet science and engineering.

(Deadline was 09 December 2022) These are 10-week research experiences at a variety of national labs focused on "engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological/life sciences, environmental science, emergency and incident management,social sciences, and more." U.S. Citizenship Required

(Deadline was 12 December 2022) Students interested in planetary sciences.

(Deadline was 02 January 2023) Graduate and Post-Graduate Students interested in translating the importance of science to the public by working at media organizations for the summer.

(Deadline was 06 January 2023) For students who have completed their junior year and are interested in optical science. This program is in Paris, France, but run out of the University of Michigan.

(Deadline was 06 January 2023) Students interested in "research projects in some of the best gravitational physics labs in Europe and Australasia".

(Deadline was 06 January 2023) Students interested in going to Switzerland to do a little particle physics.

(Deadline was 09 January 2023) Amgen Scholars Program is geared towards students in biology, chemistry, and biotechnology fields. Some of these fields include biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and chemistry.

(Deadline was 09 January 2023) Caltech's WAVE Fellows program aims to foster diversity by increasing the participation of underrepresented students in science and engineering Ph.D. programs and to make Caltech's programs more visible and accessible to students not traditionally exposed to Caltech. The program is extended, but not limited, to underrepresented minorities, women, first-generation college students, geographically underrepresented students, and educationally and financially disadvantaged students.

(Deadline was 10 January 2023) This program places students in paid internships in Science and Engineering at any of several Department of Energy facilities. Check a site for a link to specific labs and their specific projects.

(Deadline was 10 January 2023) Students interested in particle physics or the engineering challenges of the Fermilab facility.

(Deadline was 10 January 2023) Students interested in plasma physics!

(Deadline was 13 January 2023) Students interested in Gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources, including precision measurements, laser interferometry, optical systems, electronics, servo controls, complex mechanical systems, and environmental monitoring.

(Deadline was 15 January 2023) Students interested in astrophysics and observational astronomy, biophysics, condensed matter physics, particle physics and physics education.

(Deadline was 16 January 2023) Students interested in science research, education and policy

(Deadline was 23 January 2023) Students from underrepresented groups interested in particle physics or the engineering challenges of the Fermilab facility.

(Deadline was 23 January 2023) The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) Program, sponsored by the Office of Fossil Energy (FE), U.S. Department of Energy, offers a 10-week summer internship. MLEF's mission is to improve opportunities for women and minority students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, but all eligible candidates are encouraged to apply.

(Deadline was 25 January 2023) Students applying to this program have a choice of selecting to participate in one of two research components: (1) nuclear and particle physics at TUNL or (2) high-energy particle physics with the Duke High-Energy Physics (HEP) group.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) IBM hosts paid summer internships at three IBM research locations: Almaden (San Jose, CA), Austin, TX, or Watson (Yorktown Heights, NY). These internship experiences provide students with the opportunity to work closely with an IBM mentor and work on research projects that match their skills and interests as well as the ongoing research programs of the laboratory. The Almaden and Watson lab have a full range of research, and the Austin lab focuses on software and systems.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in particle accelerator related physics (including particle physics and engineering).

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in astrophysics, geology, or biology.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) [NOTE: CCMR uses a rolling admission process where they review applicants starting in January with all positions filled by late March. You are much more likely to be accepted if you apply early!] Students interested in interdisciplinary materials research projects involving chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering disciplines.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in observational astronomy

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students in the physical, mathematical, or engineering sciences who are from colleges with limited research opportunities to address important problems in biology.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Biophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Elementary Particle Physics, Geophysics, Physics Education Research, and Plasma Physics.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and related physical sciences encouraged to apply.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in solar and space physics.

(Deadline was 31 January 2023) Students interested in biophysics, elementary particle physics, cosmology and astrophysics, physics, education, condensed matter physics, and space physics.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in direct laboratory work at Brookhaven National Labs, Astrophysical and Condensed Matter computational simulations, or Theoretical Physics.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in a wide variety of astrophysical research projects.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Undergrads interested in astrophysics, computational physics, theoretical (nuclear and quantum), applied health physics, and more.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in radio astronomy and engineering (and computer science).

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in observational astronomy on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts. Ask Dr. Cabanela about it, he was a REU student there years ago.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in radio astronomy and related fields.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in Solar Physics.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in Physics Education Research.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Undergraduates interested in High energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Geophysics, or Biophysics.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in gaining hands-on experience in conducting original research and applying it to cutting-edge applications in energy and the environment.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in Computational astrophysics.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in summer research in a wide variety of fields. This is Rutgers' program for non-Rutgers students to do research there over the summer.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in research spanning the field of astrobiology from microbiology to planetary geology to observational astronomy.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in the potential of the biomedical sciences as an interesting and fulfilling career. Could overlap with medical physics emphasis. This program is OPEN for international students.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students conducting astronomical research (in radio astronomy) under the supervision of ASTRON and JIVE staff members in the Netherlands. Open to international Students!

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in Physics including biophysics and condensed matter.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in radio astronomy and gravitational wave astrophysics. Other astrophysics projects also available.

(Deadline was 01 February 2023) Students interested in Physics or Astronomy careers requiring graduate studies.

(Deadline was 02 February 2023) Undergraduates form underrepresented populations interested in the field of medical physics.

(Deadline was 02 February 2023) Students interested in a summer internship in medical physics

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) Students interested in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) Students interested in planetary science, astronomical instrumentation, astrophysics, general relativity and cosmology.

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) Students interested in physics research in a wide variety of disciplines.

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) Students interested in the application of physics to biological systems.

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) For students interested in nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry.

(Deadline was 03 February 2023) Students interested in Astrophysics, Atomic/Molecular/Optical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics (Theoretical or Experimental), High Energy Physics (Theoretical or Experimental), Nonlinear Dynamics/Complex Systems, and Nuclear/Medical Physics

(Deadline was 06 February 2023) Students interested in phsyics research in a wide variety of disciplines (see Mentors list).

(Deadline was 06 February 2023) Students interested in civil space research policy at the National Academies.

(Deadline was 06 February 2023) [offers made on rolling basis until March 5] Students interested in astrophysics (observational and theoretical), biological physics, condensed matter, atomic, molecular, optical, and nanoscale physics, and particle/high-energy nuclear physics.

(Deadline was 07 February 2023) Students interested in research in including Astronomy & Astrophysics, Biological Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Plasma and Laser Physics, Quantum Optics, and Physics Education. Rolling application deadline.

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) While mostly recruiting from one of the KNAC institutions (Colgate, Middlebury, Vassar, Wesleyan, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Wellesley, and Williams), all students are invited to apply for the wide variety of astrophysics research programs that are part of KNAC. Dr. Cabanela participated in this program as a faculty host almost two decades ago.

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) Students interested in Nuclear Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Physics, Nanotechnology, Single-Molecule Biophysics, Instrumentation, and Computational Physics.

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) Students interested in Nuclear Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Physics, Nanotechnology and Device Physics

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) Students interested in cutting edge research with the technology’s greatest experts in biopreservation and cryobiology!

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) Students at Nevis work on efforts to investigate the most pressing issues in HEP and astroparticle physics

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) For students interested in the broad area of nonlinear dynamics.

(Deadline was 10 February 2023) Students interested in physics and astronomy, particularly radio astronomy and laser physics.

(Deadline was 12 February 2023) Students interested in Astronomy/Astrophysics, Elementary Particle Physics, Gravity, Condensed Matter Physics, Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics and Biophysics

(Deadline was 12 February 2023) Students interested in photons in applied materials, wavefunctions in quantum materials, photons, and gravitational waves.

(Deadline was 13 February 2023) Students interested in Biophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Optics, and Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics.

(Deadline was 13 February 2023) Students interested in a wide variety of physics and astronomy related research topics. NOTE Brigham Young University has an LDS Church Honor Code and participants in this REU must agree to abide by it.

(Deadline was 13 February 2023) Students interested in Condensed Matter, Nuclear Physics, and Astrophysics. Full list of projects at https://pa.as.uky.edu/reu-research-projects

(Deadline was 14 February 2023) Students interested in condensed matter theory and experiment, complex systems and computational physics, nuclear and particle physics experiment, quantum gravity and astrophysics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) First generation students who want to conduct cutting-edge research projects, supervised by leading experts in the space science and engineering fields.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in exotic and novel materials and next-generation electronics that move toward a new generation of low-power-dissipation high-density electronics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in projects related to active galactic nuclei, galaxies, stellar astrophysics, interferometry, exoplanets, computational astrophysics, solar physics, nuclear physics, cosmic rays, biophysics, neurophysics and condensed matter physics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students intersted in neutrino physics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in "answering questions of how the Earth influences life and how life, in turn, modulates Earth’s own evolution."

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in experimental and theoretical biophysics, condensed matter physics, high energy physics, nuclear physics, accelerator and medical physics, and nuclear chemistry.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in research of how to effectively teach (aka Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER)). Early deadline because program requires pre-summer training in January (paid).

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in Solar Physics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in the next generation of materials.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Female and Minority Students interested in Condensed Matter, Elementary Matter, Dynamics and Chaos, Cosmic Ray Physics, Theoretical and Observational Astrophysics, Experimental Atomic Physics, and Biophysics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in astrophysics, engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology of a variety of flavors.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in Astronomy, especially black hole astrophysics.

(Deadline was 15 February 2023) Students interested in "cutting edge areas of nanoscale science and engineering."

(Deadline was 17 February 2023) Students interested in Astrophysics, Particle Physics and Nuclear Physics.

(Deadline was 17 February 2023) Students interested in Ultrafast lasers & attosecond physics, Nanoparticle formation & light scattering, Nonlinear fiber optics, High energy and neutrino physics, Atomic and condensed matter theory, and Physics Education

(Deadline was 17 February 2023) Students interested in Astrophysics, High Energy Physics, Nanophysics, or Physics Education research.

(Deadline was 17 February 2023) For highly-qualified students interested in some area of the engineering disciplines (aerospace, astronautical, biomedical, cehmical, Civil, computer, electrical, and industrial engineeting).

(Deadline was 17 February 2023) [Priority Deadline is February 10, 2023!] Students interested in Quantum, Astrophysics, Biophysics, Condensed Matter, High Energy, Nuclear Physics or Physics Education

(Deadline was 20 February 2023) Students interested in Atomic molecular physics, optical physics, condensed matter physics, biophysics, or astrophysics.

(Deadline was 20 February 2023) Students interested in experimental, computational, and theoretical work in nanoscale physics, soft matter, device physics, biophysics, and cold-atom systems.

(Deadline was 20 February 2023) Students interested in accelerator and nuclear physics.

(Deadline was 20 February 2023) Students interested in Astronomy/Astrophysics, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Condensed Matter Physics/Biophysics.

(Deadline was 21 February 2023) Students interested in Quantum Physics, Materials Physics and Optics.

(Deadline was 22 February 2023) Underrepresented students (such as African American, Hispanic, and Native American, females who are underrepresented in their discipline, or first-generation college students) interested in science and engineering Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs.

(Deadline was 23 February 2023) Students interested in Atomic/Molecular Physics, Bio Physics, Chemical Physics, Statistical Physics, Astronomy, and Planetary Science.

(Deadline was 24 February 2023) Students interested in Spectroscopic applications in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

(Deadline was 28 February 2023) Students interested in nanoscale science and engineering!

(Deadline was 28 February 2023) Students interested in physics or astrophysics related research.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Students interested in Radio Astronomy, Solar System Planetary Radar studies, Atmospheric Sciences, Engineering, and Computer Science.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Available research projects span a wide range of physics and astronomy topics, from ultrafast laser spectroscopy to detecting neutrinos, from active galactic nuclei to computational materials physics.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Students interested in Atomic, Molecular, or Biological Physics.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Students interested in research in Atomic, Molecualar Physics and Biological Physics.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Students in materials science and optics are especially encouraged to apply.

(Deadline was 01 March 2023) Students interested in atomic and molecular physics, optics, or chemisty.

(Deadline was 06 March 2023) Students interested in Solar Physics.

(Deadline was 13 March 2023) Students interested in the intersection between traditional electromagnetic wave astrophysics and the emerging field of gravitational wave astrophysics.

(Deadline was 15 March 2023) Students interested in astrophysical research including star formation, planetary systems science (the Solar System, exoplanets), stellar astrophysics, black holes, galaxy evolution, dark matter, dark energy, cosmology, and instrumentation.

(Deadline was 15 March 2023) NOTE: Deadline is actually a rolling deadline with internship opportunities possible throughout the academic year. Students who are Minnesota residents (attending school in Minnesota counts as residency, citizenship doesn't appear to be a requirement) and in good academic standing (2.5 GPA or above) who are interested in interships with Minnesota Employers in STEM fields.

(Deadline was 20 March 2023) Students interested in astrophysics, biophysics, gravitational wave detection, lasers and photonics, nano-science and advanced materials or radio, optical astronomy and applied physics.

(Deadline was 31 March 2023) Students interested in applying computational techniques to modelling solid state/material science problems.

(Deadline was 31 March 2023) Students interested in Physics (Astronomy, Biophysics and Acoustics).

(Deadline was 31 March 2023) Students interested in neutrino astrophysics (go to the site to review just what the Ice Cube experiment involves).

(Deadline was 01 April 2023) Undergraduate students who are interested in research opportunities in Materials Physics, Biomedical/Biophysics, Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics/Sensors, Computational & Theoretical Physics

(Deadline was 07 April 2023) Students interested in atmospherics science, computational and experimental nanophyiscs, laser spectroscopy, and superstrings.

Programs with no deadline announced for Summer 2023 yet:

Students interested in "underground science" (such as searching for dark matter and neutrino physics) at the Sanford Unferground Research Facility.

Students from Los Angeles-area community colleges interested in astronomy, astrophysics, planetary science, and space exploration.

Other Lists of Summer Research Opportunities Related to Physics or Astronomy

Physics students who enjoy the mathematical methods we use might want to look here.

This is a list of undergraduate summer programs at Fermilab.

This is actually a 'search page' for lots of NASA interships (The deadlines can vary, full details at NASA's Internship Website). For students interested in working on research conducted at NASA in a variety of fields. The MN Space Grant Consortium (MnSGC) expects to fund NASA summer internships for 5-6 undergraduate students who are attending college in Minnesota. MSUM Students have done this program in the past, leading to summer jobs a JPL in California.

This page links to all the National Science Foundations lists of sites they currently fund REU programs at.

This is the National Science Foundation's list of sites with currently funded REU programs in physics.

This is the National Science Foundation's list of sites with currently funded REU programs in the astronomical sciences.

This is a list of all the internships at various Smithsonian Institutions and their deadlines.


This webpage is copyright © 2023 Juan Cabanela. This page was last updated on February 23, 2023 at 14:21:28 UTC.