This page covers research opportunities and internships for undergraduate students at New York colleges and universities, including on-campus labs, summer research programs, pharmaceutical internships, and public health research.
On-Campus Research at New York Institutions
New York’s research universities provide extensive opportunities for undergraduates to join faculty research labs. The process is similar across institutions: review faculty profiles on department websites, identify researchers whose work interests you, read one or two of their recent publications, and send a professional email requesting a meeting to discuss research opportunities. Persistence matters; most successful undergraduate researchers contact multiple labs before finding a position.
SUNY Research Universities: Stony Brook, Buffalo, Binghamton, and Albany all have active undergraduate research programs with funding opportunities. Stony Brook’s proximity to Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory creates additional research options. Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute supports undergraduate research in biomedical fields. Each campus has an Office of Undergraduate Research that can connect you with faculty mentors and funding.
CUNY Campuses: CUNY’s research infrastructure has grown significantly. Hunter College, City College, Brooklyn College, and the CUNY Graduate Center all have faculty conducting funded research who accept undergraduate assistants. The CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) provides stipends for students conducting mentored research. CUNY’s location in NYC provides additional research access at nearby non-CUNY institutions through collaborations and informal arrangements.
Private Universities: NYU, Columbia, Cornell (Ithaca and Weill Cornell in NYC), Rochester, Syracuse, and other private institutions have well-funded research labs across biomedical disciplines. These schools often have formal undergraduate research programs (Columbia’s Amgen Scholars Program, NYU’s undergraduate research fund, Rochester’s URF program) that provide stipends and structured research experiences.
Summer Research Programs
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU): Multiple New York institutions host NSF-funded REU programs in biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and other fields. REU programs provide 8 to 10 week paid summer research experiences with stipends ($5,000 to $7,000), housing, and travel support. Search the NSF REU database at nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu for New York programs. Applications typically open in December with deadlines in January through March.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NYC): MSK’s Summer Student Program places undergraduate students in cancer research laboratories for an intensive 10-week experience. The program is highly competitive and provides a stipend. Research areas include cancer biology, immunology, structural biology, computational biology, and clinical research. Visit mskcc.org and search for education programs.
Rockefeller University Summer Research Program: While primarily known for its high school program, Rockefeller also accepts college undergraduates for summer research in biomedical laboratories. Visit rockefeller.edu. Weill Cornell Summer Program in Biomedical Research: Weill Cornell Medical College offers summer research experiences for undergraduates, with a focus on increasing diversity in biomedical research. Albert Einstein College of Medicine SURP: The Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Einstein places students in research labs for 10 weeks with stipend and housing support.
NIH Summer Internship Program: While located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NIH SIP is accessible to New York students (a short train ride from Penn Station to Washington, D.C.) and is one of the most prestigious undergraduate research programs in the country. Apply at training.nih.gov/programs/sip.
Pharmaceutical and Biotech Internships
New York’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, concentrated in the NYC metro area, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, offers paid internships for undergraduate students. Companies with New York operations include Pfizer (NYC headquarters), Bristol Myers Squibb (regional offices), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Tarrytown), Northwell Health Ventures, and numerous startups and mid-size biotechnology firms. Industry internships expose you to drug development, clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and the business of healthcare. Check company career pages for summer intern postings (typically posted December through March), attend campus career fairs, and use your school’s alumni network to find connections in the industry.
Public Health Research
New York offers outstanding public health research opportunities. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) hires interns and research assistants for epidemiology, disease surveillance, health education, and policy analysis projects. DOHMH’s Bureau of Epidemiology Services is one of the largest local public health epidemiology units in the country. The New York State Department of Health and its Wadsworth Center (Albany) offer research and internship opportunities in public health laboratory science, environmental health, and disease investigation. Academic programs at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, NYU School of Global Public Health, SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health conduct community-engaged research that may include undergraduate research positions. See our Public Health career page.
Presenting Your Research
The value of research experience on your application is amplified when you can demonstrate that you communicated your findings. Present your work at your institution’s undergraduate research symposium, apply to present posters at regional or national conferences (Experimental Biology, AACR, ASM, and discipline-specific meetings accept undergraduate posters), and discuss the possibility of co-authorship with your mentor. Even if your project does not lead to a publication, a poster presentation or an oral presentation demonstrates your ability to synthesize and communicate scientific findings, a skill that medical schools value. See our Research Experience page.
Finding and Securing Research Positions
The process for joining a research lab is the same at every New York institution: identify faculty whose work interests you, read their recent publications (at least the abstract and conclusions of one or two papers), and send a brief, professional email introducing yourself and expressing your interest. Mention specific aspects of their research that appeal to you, state your availability (hours per week, which semesters), and describe any relevant coursework, lab skills, or prior experience. If you do not hear back within a week, send one polite follow-up. If the professor does not have space, ask whether they can recommend a colleague who might.
Timing matters. The best time to approach faculty about research positions is early in the academic year (September or October for a spring start, January or February for a summer start). Faculty plan their lab personnel months in advance, and waiting until April to look for a summer position means most spots are already filled. For competitive summer programs (MSK, Rockefeller, Weill Cornell SURP, Einstein SURP), application deadlines typically fall between November and February for the following summer. Check program websites early, set calendar reminders for application deadlines, and prepare your application materials (resume, personal statement, letters of recommendation) well in advance so you can submit strong applications before positions fill up.
New York’s large research community also means that if your initial research experience is not fulfilling (the project does not align with your interests, the mentorship is insufficient, or the lab environment is not productive), you have the option to switch labs without the disruption that a lab change might cause at a smaller institution. Having the ability to find a better fit is one of the underappreciated advantages of conducting research in a state with as many research institutions as New York. Do not stay in a research position that is not contributing to your growth just because you feel obligated; productive, mentor-supported research is what matters for your applications, not mere lab attendance.
References
NSF. “REU Programs.” NSF, 2025. https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/. Accessed March 2026.
Memorial Sloan Kettering. “Education Programs.” MSK, 2025. https://www.mskcc.org/. Accessed March 2026.
NYC DOHMH. “Careers and Internships.” DOHMH, 2025. https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/. Accessed March 2026.