2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Mayo Clinic

In 2019, Whitman College entered into a strategic partnership with Mayo Clinic to support students for a biomedical summer research experience at Mayo Clinic research centers. Students will have the opportunity to work on a range of research projects at any of the Mayo Clinic Research sites (Rochester, MN, Jacksonville, FL, or Scottsdale, AZ). Potential research areas include Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Metabolic Disease, Biomedical Engineering and Physiology, Clinical and Translational Science, Immunology, Molecular Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Virology. Funding for Whitman’s participation in this program is provided by the Doctors Robert F. and Elizabeth M. Welty Student/Faculty Research Endowment. To learn more about previous Whitman-Mayo summer interns, please see: https://www.whitman.edu/whitman-stories/whitties-head-for-mayo-clinic-summer-research-fellowships.

For summer 2026, one to two students will be funded by Whitman College to work in a laboratory at Mayo Clinic for 10 weeks as a member of the Mayo Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. As part of the SURF program, students will benefit from unique laboratory experiences, mentorship, weekly seminars, and a close community of fellow SURF students. The stipend for the program is $6,500. From this stipend, students are responsible for their own travel, housing, meals, and any other personal expenses. The research program will run from May 26 through July 31, 2026. Students must be able to commit to the entire program. For more information about the Mayo SURF and to see work from past students, please visit: https://college.mayo.edu/academics/biomedical-research-training/summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship-surf/

Deadline for submission of application: Sunday, November 9, 2025

Submit to Prof. Brit Moss via this Google Form

Eligibility Information

• Will have completed two or three years (i.e. current Sophomore or Junior) by May 2026
• Have a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Be seriously considering a biomedical research career as a PhD or MD-PhD (as opposed to practicing as a physician)
• Ability to participate for the duration of the program (May 26–July 31, 2026)
• Non-U.S. citizens attending a U.S. college are eligible to apply

A complete application includes the following:

1. Application Form (see below)
2. Personal statement: a one-to-two-page description of your career goals and the steps you have already taken to achieve those goals
3. Current unofficial transcript(s)
4. Two letters of recommendation. At this initial stage of application review, you need only provide the names of two Whitman professors and/or research advisors. At least one of these recommenders should be a Whitman faculty member who has served as a lab instructor or research mentor in the sciences. If you have a research mentor from another institution, you should include them as one of your two recommenders. If you are selected as a finalist, your recommenders will be asked to write and submit a formal letter of recommendation by January 31, 2026.

Download the application

Learn more about Mayo's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship