University of Michigan Biophysics Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (REU)

Program Dates: June 2 - August 8, 2025

The University of Michigan Biophysics Department Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) in Biophysics provides selected undergraduate students** from around the United States an opportunity to conduct ten weeks of summer research with some of the country's leading biophysicists in a range of experimental biophysics fields. The program is conducted in concert with the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation.  REU students have the opportunity to participate in a biophysics laboratory utilizing various techniques, such as x-ray crystallography and NMR.  

The Biophysics Program at the University of Michigan is one of very few standalone biophysics programs in the US and has a long tradition of interdisciplinary research.  Since Biophysics is extremely intellectually diverse, our aim is not only to provide research experience in a subfield of the discipline, but to also provide an overview of state-of-the-art research in the field, and the experimental and theoretical/computational methods and techniques that are commonly used. 

Students will be assigned to the labs that match their interest and are run by experienced innovative scientific researchers. Students will participate in hands-on exploration of biophysical methods and techniques which will introduce them to various modern experimental and computational research techniques.

Upon completion of the program, students will have gained exciting research experience and will have acquired a biophysical toolkit making them more successful and competitive in the scientific and academic environment.  This core experience will be augmented by weekly research seminars and workshops, plus opportunities for social interactions, which will often be coordinated with other summer undergraduate research programs to broaden our students' integration into our scientific and professional communities.

In order to apply for the Biophysics REU Program, applicants are required to complete the online application, as well as submit official copies of transcripts (from all school/s attended) and 2 letters of recommendation.  

Applications for summer 2025 will go live in late November.  For full consideration, applications should be received by February 28, 2025.  Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and students with outstanding applications may be admitted earlier. By agreement among Biophysics REU sites directors, students who are offered REU positions will have at least until March 8, 2025 to decide whether to accept or decline first round offers. Sites may tender offers to students at any time before this, but students will not be required to decide before this common date.

Please contact biophysics-reu@umich.edu with any additional questions.

**Please note: Our funding only allows for us to accept US citizens into the program. Support can be granted to permanent residents with the proper documentation. Students from University of Michigan are not eligible.

Students who are selected to participate in the program will receive:

REU projects are available in many different biophysical areas.  Please click here and here for a list of specific faculty interests.  You may assume that every faculty member is interested in hosting an REU student.  Active REU research areas in Biophysics at Michigan include:

Applications for the 2025 program will go live in late November.

Previous participants have stated:

"I thought this REU was really great and well organized. I had a great time this summer! (2023)

"I really had a blast this summer, and I felt like I benefitted a ton both intellectually and pre-professionally from this program. Super grateful for this opportunity." (2023)