Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Applications opening December 2024
The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) invites undergraduate students to join the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). Our mission is to broaden participation and train the next generation of researchers developing the theory and mathematics needed to highlight the fundamental roles of physical, chemical, and biological constraints as organizing principles for understanding biological mechanisms.
During this eight-week summer program, you will be paired with an NITMB faculty mentor to engage in cutting-edge research at the interface between mathematics and biology. Weekly workshops on science communication, scientific computing, collaboration, applying for graduate school and fellowships, and career panels will empower you to take the next steps in your career. You will enjoy cohort outings to Chicago museums or Argonne National Laboratory, and become part of the NITMB community, including lunches and teas with NITMB faculty, fellows, and graduate students. The program provides a generous stipend, as well as travel reimbursement, free housing, and a meal plan.
Sahana Senthilkumar, undergraduate student majoring in biomathematics and computer science at Rutgers University
“The program has given me access to such an expansive support system at NITMB, Northwestern, and through the other participants. The program has also given me more confidence as a researcher and has cemented that research that intersects math and biology is a path worth pursuing.”
- Pratyush Rallapally (2024), undergraduate majoring in biology and statistics, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Without a doubt, this cohort was most certainly the driving highlight of my summer.”
- Evan Gibbs (2024), Undergraduate majoring in mathematics, York College of Pennsylvania
​​The 2025 program will be hosted in-person at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago with program activities at the NITMB in downtown Chicago. Both computational and experimental research projects will be available
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We invite applications from students majoring in mathematics, biology, engineering, physics, or related disciplines. Students from minority-serving institutions, primarily-undergraduate institutions, and community colleges are particularly encouraged to apply.
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Student Experience
Read about the experiences of the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Program participants
Stipend
Participants in the program receive a taxable stipend of approximately $4,500.00. Housing and dinner on campus are supported by this program. Travel to/from the program is reimbursable for up to $350.00.
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Eligibility
To be considered for this program, applicants must currently be enrolled as a freshman, sophomore, or junior with demonstrated interests in the life sciences, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or physics. ​
"NITMB and my experience in this summer program has given me a look at what is really being done at this mathematical-biological interface. It has introduced me to different ways of thinking and widened my perspective.” ​
- Helen Yoo (2024), undergraduate majoring in chemistry and music, Bradley University
Expectations
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Participants are expected to spend 37.5 hours a week researching with a participating faculty member's research group for 8 weeks in the summer. (Dates to be announced.)
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Participants must agree to not take on any other research grants for any part of the eight-week period, and must not be enrolled in courses for any part of that period.
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Participants must present at the undergraduate research symposium held the last Friday of the program. Presentation options are a 15-minute slide presentation, a 3-minute recorded video, or a poster presentation. Symposium will include program directors, investigators, scholars, and research group members; family and friends are welcome to attend.​