STEM Careers

Internships, returnship programs, and career development resources — whether you're entering STEM for the first time, returning after a break, or advancing mid-career.

24Re-entry programs
87Industry entry
96Career development

Re-entry & Returnship Programs

Structured, paid programs for people returning to STEM after a career break — typically 8–16 weeks with a path to a full-time offer.

Paid

Path Forward Returnship Program

A nonprofit that partners with major companies to offer paid returnship programs for professionals returning to work after a career break fo…

Other United States
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SWE STEM Reentry Task Force

A Society of Women Engineers initiative connecting women returning to engineering after a career break with corporate return-to-work program…

Engineering United States
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Paid Women-Only

AWIS Scholarships and Grants

The Association for Women in Science offers multiple annual scholarships including the Distinguished Doctoral Research Scholarship ($10,000)…

Other United States
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Paid United Kingdom

Daphne Jackson Fellowship

The UK's only fellowship program specifically for researchers returning to STEM after a career break of two or more years, combining a perso…

Other United Kingdom
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Paid Women-Only Other

Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship

A fellowship program launched in 2004 awarding women from developing and emerging economies up to $50,000 per year to pursue PhD or postdoct…

Other Other
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Paid

NIH Re-Entry into Biomedical Research Career Development Supplements

NIH / Office of Research on Women's Health

NIH administrative supplements that enable researchers returning to biomedical research after a career break of two or more years due to per…

Biology United States
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Paid

Google STEP Internship

A paid summer software engineering internship at Google designed for first- and second-year undergraduate students from groups historically …

Computer Science United States
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Paid

Microsoft LEAP Apprenticeship Program

Microsoft

A 16-week paid apprenticeship program at Microsoft for career-changers with non-traditional backgrounds — including bootcamp graduates and c…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

JPMorgan Chase ReEntry Program

JPMorgan Chase

A paid 15-week returnship program at JPMorgan Chase for experienced professionals, including technologists, who have been out of the workfor…

Computer Science United States
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Paid Women-Only

AAUW International Fellowships

Fellowships of $20,000 to $50,000 for women who are not US citizens or permanent residents to pursue full-time graduate or postgraduate stud…

All STEM United States
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Paid Women-Only

AWIS Opportunity Scholarships for Career Re-Entry

Association for Women in Science (AWIS)

Up to two awards of $2,500 each for STEM-credentialed professionals returning to careers after being out of the workforce for more than one …

All STEM United States
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Paid Women-Only

SWE Olive Lynn Salembier Memorial Reentry Scholarship

Society of Women Engineers

$2,000 scholarship (established 1978) for women returning to engineering or computer science after a career gap of at least two years out of…

Engineering United States
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Paid International

Amazon Software Development Engineer Internship

Amazon

Amazon's summer SDE internship places undergraduate and graduate students on engineering teams across AWS, retail, and other business units …

Computer Science International
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International

iRelaunch Return-to-Work Programs

A continually updated directory of paid employer return-to-work programs (returnships) worldwide, many in STEM and technology, for experienc…

Other International
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Paid Women-Only International

Amazon Rekindle Return-to-Work Program

Amazon

A return-to-work program for women who have taken a career break of 12 months or more and are re-entering the workforce, including in techni…

Computer Science International
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Paid

reacHIRE Returnship Programs

reacHIRE runs return-to-work programs that place professionals coming off a career break directly into paid roles at partner employers, typi…

Other United States
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Paid

Audible "Next Chapter" Returnship Program

Audible

A paid full-time returnship at Audible for experienced professionals re-entering the workforce after a caregiving break, spanning technology…

Other United States
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Paid International

Cisco Return-to-Work Program (Rejoin)

Cisco

Cisco's supported hiring program (Rejoin) for technical professionals in India and Australia returning after a career break of at least a ye…

Computer Science International
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Paid

Princeton University NSF REU Training Site: Computational Biology Research

Princeton University

NSF REU training site providing computational-biology research experience, with a focus on supporting formerly incarcerated undergraduate st…

Data Science United States
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Paid International

SNSF Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship

Swiss National Science Foundation

Enables postdoctoral researchers connected to Switzerland to undertake a research stay abroad to strengthen their academic profile, with a 2…

Other International
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Paid Other

FWF Erwin Schrodinger Fellowship

Austria's FWF Science Fund funds early-career postdoctoral researchers to conduct research abroad at a leading international host institutio…

Other Other
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Paid United Kingdom

STEM Returners

A UK program offering paid return-to-work placements for experienced STEM professionals re-entering the workforce.

Engineering United Kingdom
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Paid Women-Only

Women Back to Work

Returnship program helping women with career breaks re-enter technical careers in IT and engineering through paid structured returnships and…

Computer Science United States
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The Last Mile

Provides coding and business/tech training plus reentry support to incarcerated men and women across facilities in multiple states, with rec…

Computer Science United States
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Industry Entry Programs

Internships, apprenticeships, and structured entry pipelines at major tech and science employers — with structured early-career tracks.

Paid Women-Only

Ada Developers Academy

An 11-month tuition-free software engineering program for women and gender-expansive adults, covering full-stack web development through a s…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship

A fellowship supporting exceptional PhD students in computing and related disciplines, providing tuition, stipend, and a paid research inter…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)

U.S. Department of Energy

A nationally competitive program placing undergraduate students at DOE national laboratories to conduct research alongside world-class scien…

All STEM United States
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Paid Women-Only International

Brooke Owens Fellowship

A paid internship and mentorship program for undergraduate women and gender-minority students passionate about aerospace, providing a summer…

Engineering International
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Paid Women-Only International

Intel Women in Technology Scholarship (Ireland)

Intel

A scholarship of €3,000 for women enrolled in undergraduate engineering or computer science programs at Irish universities, paired with a pa…

Engineering International
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Paid Women-Only International

IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

An IAEA fellowship providing up to €40,000 in total support for women pursuing a master's degree in nuclear science, engineering, or related…

Physics International
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Paid

Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship

Amazon

$40,000 scholarship (paid over 4 years) for high school seniors from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds planning to study computer …

Computer Science United States
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Paid Women-Only

NASA MUREP Women's Colleges & Universities Scholarship

NASA MUREP

Scholarship for undergraduate students at women's colleges and universities pursuing STEM degrees. Provides up to $9,000 academic stipend pl…

All STEM United States
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Paid

Microsoft Research Ada Lovelace Fellowship

Microsoft Research

Fellowship for second-year PhD students from underrepresented groups in computing including women. Covers tuition and fees for three years p…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

National GEM Consortium Fellowship

National GEM Consortium

Provides opportunities for underrepresented minority students to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering through paid s…

Engineering United States
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Paid

DOE Community College Internships (CCI)

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science

DOE CCI offers community college students 10-week paid internships at one of 17 DOE national laboratories, providing hands-on technical expe…

General STEM United States
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Paid

NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research

National Institutes of Health

The NIH SIP provides undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and medical students with hands-on research experience at NIH's Bethesda c…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

NASA Internship Programs (OSTEM)

NASA

NASA offers competitive paid internships across all NASA centers for college students pursuing STEM majors, with 10-week summer sessions and…

Aerospace United States
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Paid

NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The NOAA Hollings Scholarship provides academically talented undergraduates studying ocean, coastal, atmospheric, and related sciences with …

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

Sandia National Laboratories Student Internship Programs

Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia offers summer, year-round, and co-op internships for undergraduates and graduates across engineering, computer science, cybersecurity…

Engineering United States
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Paid

ORISE Research Participation Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory / ORISE

ORISE administers competitive paid research internships and fellowships for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers …

General STEM United States
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Paid

DOD SMART Scholarship for Service

U.S. Department of Defense

The DOD SMART Scholarship provides full tuition, generous annual stipend, and summer research internships to undergraduates and graduate stu…

General STEM United States
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Paid

Microsoft Explore Program

Microsoft

A 12-week summer internship at Microsoft for first- and second-year undergraduates to explore careers in software engineering and product ma…

Computer Science United States
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Paid International

Microsoft Research Internship

Microsoft Research

Microsoft Research offers paid internships for PhD students to collaborate with world-class researchers on projects in AI, machine learning,…

Computer Science International
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Paid International

Apple Internship Program

Apple

Apple offers paid internships across hardware engineering, software engineering, machine learning, and design for undergraduate and graduate…

Engineering International
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IBM Accelerate Program

IBM

A free virtual skills-building program for undergraduates providing exposure to IBM technology, career paths, and culture through online mod…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

Palantir Path Fellowship

Palantir Technologies

A fellowship designed for students from underrepresented backgrounds in tech, offering mentorship, networking, and a pathway to Palantir int…

Data Science United States
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Paid International

Jane Street Internship

Jane Street

Highly competitive paid internships in software engineering, trading, research, and quantitative finance, providing deep exposure to functio…

Mathematics International
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Paid International

Outreachy

Software Freedom Conservancy

Three-month paid remote internships with free and open source software organizations for people subject to systemic bias and underrepresenta…

Computer Science International
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Paid

Research Science Institute (RSI)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A cost-free six-week summer program at MIT, run by the Center for Excellence in Education, bringing together about 100 top high school junio…

Other United States
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Paid

Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

An eight-week paid summer program, administered by ASEE for the U.S. Navy, that places academically talented high school students as apprent…

Engineering United States
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Paid International

DAAD RISE Germany (Research Internships in Science and Engineering)

A summer research internship placing undergraduates from North American, British, and Irish universities with research groups at German univ…

Engineering International
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Paid

St. Jude Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

An NIH/NCI-funded summer internship in laboratory or clinical research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis for students prep…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

Fermilab Summer Internships in Science and Technology (SIST)

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

A 12-week paid summer internship at Fermilab for undergraduate sophomores and juniors majoring in physics, engineering (mechanical, electric…

Physics United States
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Paid

Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship

Matthew Isakowitz Foundation

An annual award presented by the Commercial Space Federation in partnership with the Matthew Isakowitz Foundation Programs, supporting colle…

Aerospace United States
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Paid

Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

An award-winning fellowship that gives extraordinary undergraduates their first work experience in the aerospace industry, pairing a paid su…

Aerospace United States
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Paid

Janelia Undergraduate Scholars Program

HHMI Janelia Research Campus

A ten-week summer research internship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, for well-prepar…

Biology United States
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Paid

USGS/NAGT Cooperative Summer Field Training Program

U.S. Geological Survey

One of the longest continuously running science internship programs in the United States (since 1965), administered by the U.S. Geological S…

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

USDA 1890 National Scholars Program

U.S. Department of Agriculture

A USDA scholarship for U.S. citizens pursuing a bachelor's degree at one of the nineteen 1890 land-grant universities in agriculture, food, …

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

Actuarial Foundation STEM Stars Actuarial Scholars Program

The Actuarial Foundation

A renewable scholarship from The Actuarial Foundation supporting high school seniors pursuing careers in mathematics and the actuarial profe…

Mathematics United States
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Paid

NASA Pathways Internship Program

NASA

NASA's federal internship program that develops future civil servants across engineering, science, technology, and business disciplines at N…

Aerospace United States
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Paid

Bloomberg Data Science PhD Fellowship

A fellowship for full-time doctoral students working in data science and related fields including natural language processing, machine learn…

Data Science United States
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Paid

Novartis Summer of Science Internship

A fully funded 10-week summer research internship within the Novartis Biomedical Research division for undergraduate students with minimal p…

Biomedical United States
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Paid International

IAESTE International STEM Internships

A global non-profit that arranges paid, on-site STEM (science, engineering, and technology) internships abroad for university students acros…

Engineering International
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Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

George Mason University

A nationally recognized eight-week summer research internship at George Mason University for high school and undergraduate students, offerin…

Other United States
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Paid International

Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship

Apple's AI/ML PhD fellowship supports emerging research leaders in computer science and machine learning with up to two years of financial s…

Computer Science International
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Paid

LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science

Lunar and Planetary Institute (USRA)

A ten-week summer research internship operated by the Universities Space Research Association at the Lunar and Planetary Institute near NASA…

Physics United States
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Paid

NCAR SIParCS (Summer Internships in Parallel Computational Science)

National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)

A paid summer internship at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, giving undergraduate and graduate student…

Computer Science United States
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Paid International

SPE Foundation Scholarships (Society of Plastics Engineers)

The Society of Plastics Engineers Foundation offers numerous named scholarships to full-time undergraduate students majoring in plastics eng…

Engineering International
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Paid

AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarships

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation awards scholarships paired with paid summer internships at steel companies to …

Engineering United States
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Paid

Fred Hutch Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

An intensive nine-week biomedical research internship for undergraduates entering their final year of study, based in Seattle. Interns compl…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

Scripps Research Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF)

Scripps Research

A ten-week summer research internship at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, placing undergraduates in one of the institute's laborato…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

Stowers Summer Scholars Program

Stowers Institute for Medical Research

An eight-week full-time research internship at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, where undergraduates work under a …

Biology United States
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Paid

Van Andel Institute Student Research Fellowship

Van Andel Institute

A ten-week paid summer internship in basic biomedical research at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, exploring disease at th…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

Apprenti

Apprenti is a nationally recognized, U.S. Department of Labor-registered tech apprenticeship program that places candidates into roles such …

Computer Science United States
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Paid United Kingdom

Multiverse Apprenticeships

Multiverse delivers employer-based apprenticeships in software engineering, data, and AI, where apprentices learn on the job in a real busin…

Computer Science United Kingdom
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Paid

DHS HS-POWER Summer Internship Program

The Homeland Security Professional Opportunities for Student Workforce to Experience Research (HS-POWER) program, sponsored by the DHS Scien…

Other United States
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Paid

LCLS Summer Internship Program

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

A paid summer internship at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source, where undergraduates work with staff scientists on X-ray free-electron laser…

Physics United States
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Paid

PPPL Undergraduate Internship Program

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

A paid summer research internship at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory placing undergraduates on fusion-energy and plasma-science proj…

Physics United States
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Paid

PPPL Operations Internship Program

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

A paid internship at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory focused on the operational, technical, and engineering-support side of running a na…

Other United States
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Paid

Data Science Summer Institute (DSSI)

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

A 12-week paid summer internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in data science,…

Data Science United States
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Paid

NIF & Photon Science Summer Scholar Internship

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

A paid summer internship at LLNL's National Ignition Facility and Photon Science directorate, placing undergraduate and graduate students on…

Physics United States
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Paid

Bridge into Internships

Argonne National Laboratory

A paid Argonne National Laboratory program that helps undergraduates from a range of backgrounds transition into hands-on research internshi…

Other United States
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Paid

Graduate Student Measurement Science and Engineering (GMSE) Fellowship

National Institute of Standards and Technology

A NIST fellowship providing graduate and doctoral students full graduate-school tuition, a stipend, and paid internship experience conductin…

Engineering United States
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Paid United Kingdom

UKRI Policy Internships Scheme

UK Research and Innovation

A funded three-month internship placing UKRI-funded doctoral students with UK government and parliamentary host organisations to gain scienc…

Other United Kingdom
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Paid

Hudson River Trading Sophomore Internship

A paid summer internship at Hudson River Trading for second-year undergraduates that rotates participants through the Algorithm Development …

Computer Science United States
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Paid International

Optiver Trading Internship Program

A paid trading internship at the market-making firm Optiver, offering hands-on training in options theory and live-market simulation for stu…

Mathematics International
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Paid

UW CICOES Summer Internship (Climate, Ocean & Ecosystem Studies)

University of Washington

A nine-week paid summer internship through the UW Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, placing undergraduates wi…

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

AnitaB.org Apprenticeship Pathway Program

AnitaB.org

A paid, hands-on apprenticeship from AnitaB.org helping people from underrepresented groups enter tech careers, with a high full-time employ…

Computer Science United States
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National Cyber League

Cyber Skyline / National Cyber League

Puzzle-based, capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition and learning community for high school, college and bootcamp students to build and …

Cybersecurity United States
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Boston University RISE (Research in Science & Engineering)

Boston University

Six-week summer program for rising high school seniors to conduct university laboratory research (Internship track) or structured group rese…

Other United States
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Paid

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Internship

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Paid research internships and NSF REU site (since 2001) in environmental chemistry, marine and estuarine ecology, molecular ecology and terr…

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

Los Alamos National Laboratory Undergraduate Student Internship

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Mentored research internships across technical and scientific fields (physics, computing, engineering and more) at Los Alamos National Labor…

Physics United States
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Paid

TAPPI Technical Division Scholarships

The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) offers numerous scholarships for students in the pulp, paper, packaging, an…

Engineering United States
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Paid

American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) Scholarships

ASEV annually awards scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in enology, viticulture, or a science basic to the…

Other United States
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Paid

Non-Ferrous Founders' Society Mary & Louis Iannettoni Memorial Scholarship

The Non-Ferrous Founders' Society awards the $2,500 Mary & Louis Iannettoni Memorial Scholarship to undergraduate students pursuing educatio…

Engineering United States
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Paid

UConn Physiology & Neurobiology REU

University of Connecticut

An NSF-funded summer research internship at the University of Connecticut's Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, giving undergraduates…

Biology United States
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Paid

VIMS Summer Intern Program (Coastal Marine Science REU)

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (William & Mary)

A paid summer research internship in coastal and marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

SCEC SOURCES (Supported Opportunities for Undergraduates in Earthquake Science)

Statewide California Earthquake Center

An undergraduate internship program in earthquake science coordinated by the Statewide California Earthquake Center.

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

EarthScope RESESS (Research Experiences in Solid Earth Sciences for Students)

EarthScope Consortium

A multi-year internship in solid-earth geoscience research for undergraduates, run by the EarthScope Consortium.

Environmental Science United States
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Paid

Break Through Tech

A program connecting undergraduate women and underrepresented students to computing and AI coursework, skills, and industry experience.

Computer Science United States
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Women-Only International

Rewriting the Code

A community and career program supporting undergraduate and early-career women in tech through mentorship, events, and internships.

Computer Science International
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Paid

ADSA Genevieve Christen Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award

The American Dairy Science Association awards a stipend and plaque to a distinguished dairy-science undergraduate demonstrating leadership, …

Other United States
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Paid

SCTE Foundation Scholarship for Engineering and Software Development

The SCTE Foundation provides scholarships and grants to students pursuing engineering and software-development careers in the broadband conn…

Engineering United States
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Paid

Genesys Works

Nonprofit providing high schoolers from underserved communities with technical skills training and paid corporate internships in tech and bu…

Computer Science United States
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Paid

NPCA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship

The National Precast Concrete Association Foundation awards scholarships to students enrolled in civil engineering, architectural, construct…

Engineering United States
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Paid

ISPE Foundation Academic Scholarships

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering Foundation provides tuition scholarships to university and college students pursuin…

Engineering United States
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Paid

Forging Foundation (FIERF) Scholarships

The Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation awards up to 18 scholarships annually (including the Charles W. Finkl, Al Underys M…

Engineering United States
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Paid

AGMA/MPMA Foundation Scholarship Program

The AGMA Foundation (now the Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance Foundation) awards scholarships to engineering students pursuing careers …

Engineering United States
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Paid Other

TÜBİTAK 2232 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers (Turkey)

TÜBİTAK's BİDEB 2232 program (with companion 2232-B for early-stage researchers) funds highly qualified scientists to establish research in …

Other Other
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Paid

Gerstner Sloan Kettering Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A ten-week summer laboratory internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for undergraduates interested in biomedic…

Biomedical United States
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Paid

Code2College

Free Texas-based nonprofit helping underrepresented and low-income high school students build technical skills through after-school coding s…

Computer Science United States
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Career Development Grants & Fellowships

Funding and support for people already in STEM careers — to advance, transition, or re-skill at any career stage.

Funded

CRA-WP Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU)

A summer research program matching undergraduate women and underrepresented students with faculty mentors at research universities across th…

Computer Science United States
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Funded Women-Only

AAUW Career Development Grants

Grants of up to $8,000 for women who hold a bachelor's degree and are preparing to advance, change careers, or re-enter the workforce in STE…

Other United States
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United Kingdom

Women's Engineering Society (WES)

A UK professional membership society founded in 1919 that supports women in engineering through its MentorSET cross-sector mentoring scheme,…

Engineering United Kingdom
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Funded Women-Only Other

OWSD PhD and Early Career Fellowships

Fellowships for women scientists from Science and Technology-Lagging Countries (STLCs) to pursue PhD or early-career research in natural sci…

Other Other
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Funded

Caltech WAVE Fellows Program

California Institute of Technology

A 10-week summer research program at Caltech for undergraduate students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM, including women, …

All STEM United States
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Funded

MIT MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A highly selective, free six-week residential STEM program at MIT for rising high school seniors from underrepresented backgrounds, includin…

Engineering United States
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Funded

MIT MathROOTS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A free two-week residential summer mathematics program at MIT for high-achieving high school students from underrepresented backgrounds, inc…

Mathematics United States
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Funded International

CMU Robotics Institute Summer Scholars (RISS)

Carnegie Mellon University

A 12-week summer research program at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute for outstanding undergraduate students from around the world to co…

Engineering International
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Funded Women-Only

GHC Advancing Inclusion Student Scholarships

AnitaB.org

Scholarships awarded by AnitaB.org providing complimentary registration, travel, and hotel support for women and gender-minority students to…

Computer Science United States
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Funded Women-Only

Iota Sigma Pi Lois Jean Durham Scholarship

Iota Sigma Pi

A $2,000 scholarship awarded annually by Iota Sigma Pi, the national honor society for women in chemistry, to an undergraduate woman or non-…

Chemistry United States
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Funded Women-Only

Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) Scholarship

Association of Women in the Metal Industries

Scholarships and professional development awards from the Association of Women in the Metal Industries supporting AWMI members pursuing educ…

Engineering United States
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Funded

DREU — Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates

CRA-WP (Computing Research Association Widening Participation)

Ten-week funded summer research placement pairing undergraduates with faculty mentors at computing departments across the U.S., with a $9,00…

Computer Science United States
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Funded

NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program

NVIDIA

Up to $60,000 for PhD students doing outstanding research in computing, AI, graphics, autonomous vehicles, and related fields. Now in its 25…

Computer Science United States
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Funded

HHMI Gilliam Fellows Program

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

Supports PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds — including women — in the life sciences with up to 3 years of stipend support and p…

Biology United States
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Women-Only

Rising Stars in EECS Workshop

Rotating (MIT, Berkeley, CMU, Stanford, Georgia Tech)

Intensive two-day annual workshop for women graduate students and postdocs pursuing academic careers in EECS. Hosted at rotating top institu…

Computer Science United States
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Funded

Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs

Ford Foundation / National Academies

Administered by the National Academies, Ford Foundation Fellowships increase faculty diversity by supporting predoctoral, dissertation, and …

General STEM United States
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Funded

HHMI Undergraduate Research Programs

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports undergraduate research through institutional grants to universities, enabling students to parti…

Biomedical United States
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Funded International

Amgen Scholars Program

An undergraduate summer research program in science and biotechnology funded by the Amgen Foundation, placing students in hands-on laborator…

Biology International
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Funded

Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)

A summer research program from The Leadership Alliance consortium that matches undergraduates with faculty mentors at member research univer…

Other United States
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Funded

Beckman Scholars Program

A 15-month mentored undergraduate research experience in chemistry, biological sciences, and interdisciplinary combinations, funded by the A…

Chemistry United States
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Funded

Udall Undergraduate Scholarship

Udall Foundation

A federally funded scholarship recognizing college sophomores and juniors committed to careers related to the environment, Tribal public pol…

Environmental Science United States
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Funded

PROMYS (Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists)

Boston University

A six-week residential summer program at Boston University encouraging strongly motivated high school students (ages 14-18) to explore mathe…

Mathematics United States
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Funded

DIMACS REU at Rutgers

Rutgers University

An eight-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates run by the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIM…

Computer Science United States
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Funded

MSRI-UP (SLMath Undergraduate Program)

SLMath (formerly MSRI)

A six-week summer mathematics research program at SLMath (formerly MSRI) in Berkeley for undergraduates who have completed two years of univ…

Mathematics United States
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Funded International

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The flagship international exchange program of the U.S. Department of State, offering Study/Research and English Teaching Assistant awards i…

Other International
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Funded

American Nuclear Society Undergraduate Scholarship

The American Nuclear Society awards scholarships to undergraduate students preparing for careers in nuclear science, nuclear engineering, or…

Engineering United States
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Funded

Quantum@UW REU

University of Washington

A 10-week NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Washington in Seattle, offering hands-on research in Quantu…

Physics United States
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Funded

ASCE Scholarships

The American Society of Civil Engineers administers a range of national scholarships for undergraduate civil engineering students, including…

Engineering United States
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Funded

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Stanford University

An eight-week summer program in which high school juniors and seniors perform hands-on biomedical research with Stanford faculty across disc…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Simons Summer Research Program

Stony Brook University

A highly selective summer program in which academically talented high school juniors conduct hands-on research in science, math, or engineer…

Other United States
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Funded

SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

An eight-week summer research program run by SIAM and funded by the Simons Foundation, establishing five sites across the United States each…

Mathematics United States
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Funded

Sloan Research Fellowship

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

A two-year fellowship for early-career, tenure-track but untenured faculty at U.S. and Canadian institutions in chemistry, computer science,…

Other United States
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Funded

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface (CASI)

Burroughs Wellcome Fund

An award bridging advanced postdoctoral training and the first years of faculty appointment for researchers applying quantitative and physic…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Caltech Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

California Institute of Technology

A ten-week summer research program, running since 1979, in which undergraduates conduct a mentored research project with a Caltech or JPL fa…

Other United States
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Funded

Princeton Center for Complex Materials REU

Princeton University

An NSF MRSEC-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates in materials science at Princeton, where students work on a mentored research pro…

Physics United States
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Funded

UC LEADS (Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees)

University of California

A two-year University of California system program preparing upper-division STEM undergraduates for doctoral study. Scholars complete two su…

Other United States
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Funded

Searle Scholars Program

The Searle Scholars Program funds the independent research of exceptional early-career faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry who …

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Beckman Young Investigator Program

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation's Beckman Young Investigator Program funds early-career faculty in the chemical and life sciences wh…

Chemistry United States
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Funded

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Student Traineeship Award

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Student Traineeship Award introduces students to CF research by funding a mentored research project of ten we…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

CDC Research Participation Program (ORISE)

Administered by ORISE, this program provides students, recent graduates, and university faculty with mentored research appointments at the C…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

University of Michigan Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)

University of Michigan (Rackham Graduate School)

A funded summer research program at the University of Michigan pairing undergraduates with faculty mentors across STEM and other disciplines…

Other United States
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Funded

Purdue Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Purdue University

A paid summer research fellowship at Purdue University placing undergraduates on engineering and applied-science research projects with facu…

Engineering United States
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Funded Australia

ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

Australian Research Council

An Australian Research Council scheme providing three years of salary and project funding to outstanding early-career researchers across sci…

Other Australia
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Funded

Indiana University Bloomington Mathematics REU

Indiana University Bloomington

An NSF-funded summer mathematics REU at Indiana University Bloomington where undergraduates work on research projects under faculty mentorsh…

Mathematics United States
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Funded

Rice University NSF REU: Translating Research in the Psychological Sciences

Rice University

Eight-week NSF-funded summer REU at Rice University applying psychological science to real-world problems, with faculty-mentored research an…

Other United States
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Funded

West Virginia University REU: Translational Research in Behavior Science

West Virginia University

Nine-week NSF REU in the WVU Department of Psychology with a stipend plus lodging, food and travel, conducting behavioral-science research w…

Other United States
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Funded

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Career Development Program (Fellow Award)

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Postdoctoral Fellow award for researchers with under three years of postdoctoral training pursuing basic or translational research in blood …

Biomedical United States
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Funded

University of North Texas Chemistry NSF-REU

University of North Texas

A 10-week NSF-funded summer REU offering interdisciplinary research across analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, with on-c…

Chemistry United States
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Funded

LSU Health New Orleans REU in Basic Sciences, Genomics, and Neuroscience

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

A 10-week NSF REU providing one-on-one faculty-mentored research across genomics, neuroscience, genetics, molecular biology, and related bas…

Biology United States
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Funded

University of Michigan Chemistry REU

University of Michigan

A 10-week NSF-funded chemistry REU (running since 1989) offering research and professional development, with a stipend, housing, and travel …

Chemistry United States
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Funded United Kingdom

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships

Three-year postdoctoral fellowships in the UK for researchers within four years of their doctorate, open to any subject area including the s…

Other United Kingdom
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Funded

BBRF Young Investigator Grant (NARSAD)

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Two-year awards of up to $70,000 for young scientists conducting neurobiological research relevant to serious brain and behavior disorders s…

Biomedical United States
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Funded International

IBM PhD Fellowship Program

IBM Research

A long-running fellowship recognizing exceptional PhD students in the final years of study working in IBM's focus areas of technology. Nomin…

Computer Science International
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Funded International

Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigator Award

Melanoma Research Alliance

Supports early-career researchers within five years of their first academic faculty appointment pursuing bold new ideas in melanoma research…

Biomedical International
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Funded

Northwestern University MRSEC Materials Research REU

Northwestern University

A nine-week NSF-funded summer research experience through Northwestern's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, placing undergra…

Other United States
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Funded

ASH Scholar Award

The American Society of Hematology's Scholar Award provides career-development funding to fellows and junior faculty pursuing research caree…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award

Career Development Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network supporting junior faculty establishing independent pancreatic cancer rese…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award

Career Development Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness supporting junior clinician-scientists researching inherited retinal degener…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Knowles Teaching Fellowship

Supports early-career high school mathematics and science teachers with multi-year funding, professional development, and a national network…

Other United States
View program →
Funded

Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty (SFARI Bridge to Independence) Award

A Simons Foundation award helping early-career autism researchers transition to independent faculty positions.

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement)

An award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement supporting early-career faculty in chemistry, physics, and astronomy who inte…

Chemistry United States
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Funded International

Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program

A program funding postdoctoral scholars and faculty in STEM fields to conduct research at leading Israeli universities.

Other International
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Funded

Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development Award

A Research to Prevent Blindness award supporting early-career clinician-scientists conducting vision and eye-disease research.

Biomedical United States
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ColorStack

A national community supporting Black and Latinx computing students with career development, mentorship, and technical resources.

Computer Science United States
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Funded

GSA DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics

GSA DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics is a biology scholarship or research award providing funding to graduate st…

Biology United States
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Funded

HDSA Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellowship

HDSA Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellowship is a biomedical research fellowship providing funding to early-career researchers…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) Scholarships

The Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals awards scholarships supporting flight training and aerospace career development for aspiri…

Aerospace United States
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Funded

University of Iowa Biomedical Scholars Summer Undergraduate Research Program (BSURP)

University of Iowa

A summer undergraduate research program at the University of Iowa offering mentored biomedical research and professional development for asp…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award

The Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award supports early-career investigators conducting pediatric medical research.

Biomedical United States
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Funded

National Psoriasis Foundation Early Career Research Grants

The National Psoriasis Foundation funds early-career research grants advancing understanding and treatment of psoriatic disease.

Biomedical United States
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Funded

American Society for Nutrition Student Member Scholarships

The American Society for Nutrition and ASN Foundation offer scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in nutrition science, plus a…

Other United States
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Funded

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

An 8-12 week summer fellowship placing undergraduates in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience faculty labs, culmin…

Biology United States
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Funded

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, Rice University

Rice University

A summer research fellowship supporting Rice undergraduates in supervised faculty research with a stipend, prioritizing first-generation and…

Other United States
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Funded

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (Human-Centered Computing), Computer Science & Engineering, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

A summer NSF REU in human-centered computing where undergraduates conduct computer science research with faculty mentors on the Minneapolis …

Computer Science United States
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Funded

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School

UMass Chan Medical School

A summer research program giving undergraduates hands-on biomedical laboratory experience with graduate school faculty mentors in Worcester,…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

Medical School Summer Research Program, Texas A&M University College of Medicine

Texas A&M University

A 10-week immersive biomedical research experience pairing Texas A&M undergraduates with faculty mentors, seminars, and a Research Day prese…

Biomedical United States
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Funded

PURE-PD: Purdue Undergraduate Research Experiences for Plant Biology and Data Science (NSF REU)

Purdue University

A 10-week NSF REU placing undergraduates in plant biology and big-data-driven research with professional development and a research symposiu…

Biology United States
View program →
Funded

Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research Career Development Awards

The Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research, supports early-career investigators through Career Deve…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

OCRA Early Career Investigator Grant

The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance funds junior faculty for three years to build independent careers in ovarian and gynecologic cancer res…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded Other

DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellowship

The India Alliance Early Career Fellowship is a mentored biomedical research fellowship supporting recently qualified researchers to establi…

Biomedical Other
View program →
Funded

LUNGevity Foundation Career Development Award

A mentored award providing multi-year support to researchers within five years of their first faculty appointment pursuing early detection o…

Biomedical United States
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Funded Women-Only United Kingdom

King’s College London Women in STEM Scholarship

King’s College London

A £3,000-per-year undergraduate scholarship (up to three years) for female, non-binary, and trans students in the Faculty of Natural, Mathem…

Other United Kingdom
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Funded

V Foundation V Scholar Award

A multi-year grant supporting early-career tenure-track faculty conducting laboratory-based fundamental or translational cancer research.

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded Other

Villum Young Investigator Programme

A five-year grant (up to DKK 9 million) from Denmark's Villum Fonden enabling junior faculty in technical and natural sciences to establish …

Other Other
View program →
Funded

UNC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Faculty-mentored summer research fellowship (~60 awards) for UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduates across disciplines.

Other United States
View program →
Funded

Molecular & Integrative Physiology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Michigan Medical School

12-week fellowship in physiology and biomedical research for University of Michigan undergraduates working with MIP faculty.

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

CHEST Foundation Research Grants

The CHEST Foundation, philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians, awards annual clinical research grants and young invest…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

OREF Career Development Grant

The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation's Career Development Grant supports early-career investigators in musculoskeletal and orth…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded Other

DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (India)

India's Department of Science and Technology runs the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship to retain early-career PhD holders and support their transi…

Other Other
View program →
Funded

Cooley's Anemia Foundation Medical Research Fellowship

The Cooley's Anemia Foundation invites national and international clinical and basic-science investigators (postdoctoral fellows or junior f…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Mount Sinai Summer Research Training Program in Biomedical Big Data Science

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

A research-intensive ten-week summer program (June 1 to August 7, 2026) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai for undergraduate and…

Data Science United States
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Funded

STARS Summer Research Program

Yale University

The Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) summer program supports Yale undergraduates from underrepresented or under-resourced b…

Other United States
View program →
Funded

UT Health San Antonio Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

A competitive summer fellowship (approximately June through early August) at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, UT Health…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Dartmouth iSURF (Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship)

Dartmouth College (Geisel School of Medicine / NH-INBRE)

An approximately eight-week summer research fellowship supported by New Hampshire INBRE at Dartmouth for undergraduates seeking skills for r…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

Marquette Biomedical Sciences Summer Research Program

Marquette University

A ten-week, full-time summer research training program in the College of Health Sciences at Marquette University for undergraduates interest…

Biomedical United States
View program →
Funded

NSF REU Site: Building Data-Intensive Scientific Workflows

Washington State University Vancouver

A ten-week NSF-funded REU (June 8 to August 14, 2026) hosted jointly by WSU Vancouver's School of Engineering and Computer Science and Unive…

Computer Science United States
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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best careers in STEM?

The highest-growth STEM careers are software engineering, data science, biomedical research, environmental science, and cybersecurity — all fields with strong demand and increasing representation. Computer science and engineering have the most structured entry programs (bootcamps, apprenticeships, internships) for new entrants and career-changers. Biology and biomedical fields already have near-equal gender representation at the PhD level.

How do I return to a STEM career after a break?

Returnship programs are the fastest path back. Path Forward has returnship programs at 100+ companies. Microsoft LEAP is a 16-week paid apprenticeship for people returning to tech. JPMorgan Chase ReEntry is an 8-week paid program. The NIH Re-Entry Supplements fund researchers returning to biomedical science. The Daphne Jackson Fellowship (UK) supports STEM professionals returning after a 2+ year break. There are 24 verified re-entry programs in the WIGSAT directory.

What STEM internships are available?

Top STEM industry internship programs: Google STEP Internship (first- and second-year CS students, paid), Brooke Owens Fellowship (aerospace, paid + mentorship), DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (10-week paid research at national labs), and Caltech WAVE Fellows (undergraduate research). Microsoft and Palantir also run structured internship pipelines.

Are there career development grants in STEM?

Yes. AAUW Career Development Grants ($2,000–$12,000) support women pursuing education for career advancement. The Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship funds women from developing countries in STEM PhDs. L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science provides €15,000–€25,000 for postdoctoral researchers. AWIS Grants support women at every career stage.

What is a STEM returnship program?

A returnship is a structured, paid re-entry program for professionals returning to work after a career break — typically 8–16 weeks, with mentorship and a path to a full-time offer. They're designed to address the resume gap that disproportionately affects professionals who took time for caregiving. Major employers (Microsoft, JPMorgan, Amazon, national labs) run returnship programs with rolling or annual application cycles.