10 Biology Research Opportunities for High School Students
A window into the natural world, biology is an intriguing and versatile discipline. Whether you’re interested in the lives of people, plants, or animals - biology offers several opportunities to conduct research. However, finding the right research opportunities for high schoolers can be difficult. In this discipline-specific list, we present 10 research possibilities in the field of biology for high school students. Some of these programs have a fee, while others are free.
Also check out our lists of biology programs, online biology programs, free biology summer programs, and biology internships for high school students!
Here are 10 research opportunities in biology for high school students:
Lumiere Research Scholar Program—Biology track
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
University of Chicago’s Research in the Biological Sciences is a four-week pre-college summer program designed to introduce you to various research techniques in molecular biology, microbiology, and cellular biology. The program revolves around lab time and projects, though some lectures are included to provide background and introduce new concepts. Each course ends with students presenting the results of their independent project.
Cost: $11,400
The MDI Biological Laboratory offers summer research fellowship opportunities to high school students who are sixteen years old or over with an interest in developing science research skills. The 10-week program welcomes applicants who want research training experience within an advanced laboratory. Students are offered a stipend for their participation.
Cost: None
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an educational program sponsored by the American Fisheries Society for high school students. The program is a paid summer opportunity open to students in their junior and senior years who are interested in pursuing science disciplines associated with natural resources and environment management. Students participate in research projects on fisheries science, habitat protection, and restoration.
Cost: None
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides this opportunity to students in their senior year. Students spend a summer working at the NIH with some of the leading scientists in the world. Students work in an environment devoted to biomedical research for a minimum of 8 weeks. The program offers a stipend for participation.
Cost: None
25 students are selected to work individually with a UCSD Faculty researcher. They conduct research in a Biochemistry or Biology lab on campus. The 6 week-long program offers both winter and summer sessions, and students are admitted on a rolling basis.
Cost: $4,200
The Summer Research Program of the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center aims to expand the number of underrepresented high school and undergraduate students in STEM. This program is designed for students interested in biomedical and behavioral science. IU gives these students hands-on experience in these subjects. The program is 8 weeks long and open to high school seniors.
Cost: None
This 8-week paid summer research internship at Fred Hutch is open to rising high school seniors. The Hutch has an international reputation for its research in the biological sciences, bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, cancer prevention, epidemiology, and biostatistics. The program offers a stipend to students for their participation.
Cost: None
This program aims to educate next-generation scientists about rational drug design and discovery in biotechnology. The program has guest lectures by experts from leading Pharma/Biotech companies and hosts two workshops on career development in biology. Students will work on a Bioinformatics research project for 7 weeks, giving oral presentations and submitting project reports. The program is open to rising high school seniors.
Cost: $200
Math ExpLR is a 6-week mathematical biology program. Students will be paired with undergraduates and collaborate with a principal investigator on a computational biology research project. There will also be weekly skill development events, such as how to deliver presentations or how to write math on the computer. All students will give a presentation on their study and write an expository paper about their work before the end of the project. Cost: None
Bonus
RABS allows research-oriented students to collaborate on an investigative project with Cornell's top academics and PhD associates. Students may spend 40 or more hours a week on a research team. Students prepare an oral presentation and a written report suitable for publishing at the end of the six-week course.
Cost: $12,825
If you're looking for a real-world internship in biology that can help boost your resume while applying to college, we recommend Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.