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, and contingent upon, 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 unofficial copies of transcripts (from all school/s attended) and 2 letters of recommendation.  

Applications for summer 2025 are now live.  For full consideration, applications should be received by February 28, 2025 (extended deadline).  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:

• • A stipend of $6,000.

  • Travel reimbursement up to $500 for travel to and from Ann Arbor.

  • Housing near campus.

  • Access to the University library system

  • Access to world-class research facilities.

  • One-on-one instruction from internationally recognized faculty.

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:

• • Complex Biosystems

  • Computational/Modeling

  • Enzymology

  • Membrane Biophysics

  • Neurobiophysics

  • Single Molecule Microscopy

  • Spectroscopy

  • Structural Biology

Applications are live for the 2025 program! Apply now by February 28, 2025 (extended deadline)

Previous participants have stated:

"Overall, I really loved this program. I had such a great time and I'm so grateful that I got to be here. My lab was amazing and so were the program directors - they were always very helpful and easy to talk to. I am also much more excited and hopeful to apply to graduate school now because I feel like I have many more tools, not just in terms of research experience, but writing and how to write about my accomplishments." (2024)

"This is an excellent program. I had a great summer and learned a lot." (2024)