Top 10 Neuroscience Summer Internships for High School Students
Neuroscience summer internships are a good way for high school students interested in the field to expand their knowledge while developing valuable skills. Internships are designed to provide industry exposure and practical experience so you can start building a career in neuroscience.
Internships offer meaningful connections with mentors and industry leaders. You can use this opportunity to network with professionals and peers. Interning at an established organization can boost your college admissions profile by helping you stand out. Paid internships allow you to earn while learning. These programs are held in the summer, so they won’t interfere with your academics.
Here are 10 neuroscience summer internships for high school students:
1. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)
Location: In-person in Baltimore, MD, or virtual
Cost/Stipend: Hourly wage for in-person interns
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 8
Application Deadline: March 1
Program Dates: 8 weeks (in-person) or 5 weeks (virtual)
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from Baltimore City public schools (in-person) or from across the U.S. (virtual)
JHIBS is a summer research program for high school students who want to explore a career in the neurological sciences. The in-person component involves 8 weeks of programming wherein you attend scientific seminars, participate in weekly educational and professional development workshops, and prepare a final oral or poster presentation on your research. The research project you work on will be guided by Johns Hopkins faculty, staff, and student mentors. You also get to participate in clinical rotations with Johns Hopkins neurologists. The virtual component includes similar programming with educational presentations, basic laboratory techniques and experiments, professional development training, and mentorship training.
2. Veritas AI's AI + Medicine Deep Dive
Cost: $2,290 (financial aid available)
Eligibility: High school students with prior coding experience or completion of the AI Scholars Program
Format: Virtual, 10 sessions (2.5 hours per session)
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Program Dates: Varies according to cohort
Veritas AI is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, students learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. Students get a chance to work on real-world projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients. Here is the program brochure and the application form. Although this isn't a traditional internship, we’ve included it because it allows you to produce a project that you can use as a work sample for future job applications.
3. Duke University Neuroscience Experience (DUNE)
Location: Durham, NC
Cost/Stipend: Stipend is available.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: February 9
Program Dates: June 16 – August 8
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors not planning to attend college in the fall; who attend a public or charter high school in Durham, NC; will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program; and are a U.S. citizen, national, permanent resident, or legal resident.
If you’re looking to conduct research in neuroscience labs this summer, the DUNE program is a great option. DUNE matches you to a lab based on your interests. Here, you will conduct original research while receiving mentorship from scientists. Furthermore, you will participate in workshops to learn about neuroscience; develop scientific communication and presentation skills; explore career options in academia, industry, and medicine; and receive guidance on college applications. The program also offers networking opportunities with peers and mentors via workshops and the final presentation.
Cost: Starting at $2,490. Financial aid is available.
Location: Remote
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10–20 hours/week for 8–12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students.
A selective start-up internship program, Ladder Internships is meant for ambitious high school students. The program encourages you to intern with a high-growth start-up in an industry you are interested in. These start-ups work across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies that raise over a million dollars on average. In the program, you work closely with a start-up manager and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company. Here is the application form.
5. Massachusetts General Hospital's Youth Neurology Education and Research Program
Location: Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Stipend is available.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: January 31
Program Dates: June 30 – August 8
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or recent graduates living or studying in Massachusetts at the time of the program who are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Massachusetts General Hospital offers a research program for high school students interested in neurology. The program begins with a bootcamp that involves onboarding, research and clinical training, networking, and the start of 1-on-1 mentoring. After this, you will be assigned to a lab where you will conduct research under the guidance of your mentor and lab members. You will also participate in weekly educational sessions, field trips, and other social events. The program ends with final presentations on your research over the summer.
6. Explorations in Neuroscience Internship
Location: Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: Stipend is available (approximately $13 per hour).
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 16 (tentative)
Application Deadline: March 7
Program Dates: June 23 – August 8
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors or seniors who are U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents
Explorations in Neuroscience is a 7-week paid internship that provides experience in Neuroscience, Neurological Injury, or Neurodegeneration. As an intern, you will conduct biomedical research in a lab and learn from trained mentors. You will participate in the Explorations in Neuroscience journal club and receive training in reading and presenting primary literature. The internship offers opportunities to network with other participants and understand what you need to build a career in the field. The program ends with you presenting your research findings.
7. Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) Summer Research Internship
Location: Jupiter, FL
Cost/Stipend: Stipend of $13 per hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Application Deadline: March 4
Program Dates: June 16 – July 25
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who reside and study in Palm Beach or Martin Counties, are at least 16 years old by the program's start, and are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience invites high school students to engage in a lab-based research experience. This internship explores brain structure, function, and development as well as the advanced imaging techniques and technologies used in neuroscience. You will learn ‘wet-lab’ techniques such as genetic engineering, microbiology preparations, histological staining, and microscopy. This experience helps answer questions about the structure and function of neural circuits. At the end of the program, you will prepare a scientific abstract on the research you conducted and deliver a presentation.
8. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Neurology High School Scholars Program
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Stipend of $1,000
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: March 7
Program Dates: July 14 – August 15
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors who will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program
The Neurology High School Scholars Program is a 5-week research internship. In this program, you will work with a neurologist or neuroscientist on a basic science or clinical research project. In addition to research, you will shadow physicians to get practical exposure to the field and gain skills. The program also includes weekly educational sessions. Past scholars have worked on a diverse range of projects. You will also prepare a poster outlining your research findings and present it at a conference at the end of the program.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: April (tentative)
Program Dates: June 9 – August 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors
This high school research internship allows you to learn from a multidisciplinary team of research scientists, clinicians, a nurse practitioner, and researchers in the BrainSPORT program. The study is called CARE4Kids: Endophenotypes of Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms. Working with the BrainSPORT staff, you will recruit patients, enter research data, and conduct study protocols. You will also attend weekly Traumatic Brain Injury lab meetings to understand the daily operations of clinical research. You will work on a research project you are interested in and present the outcomes at the end of the internship.
10. Barrow Neurological Institute’s Summer High School Internship Program
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: February 14
Program Dates: May 30 – July 3
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old
Barrow Neurological Institute’s Department of Translational Neuroscience provides high school students with exposure to research in neuroscience. With access to advanced technology, you will conduct research in a lab setting. Mentors provide guidance and insights into a career in translational neuroscience. Through this program, you will learn basic biological principles and the mechanisms contributing to the cause of and treatment for disease, scientific communication, literature review, and the importance of non-laboratory ancillary departments. In addition to research laboratories, internships are also available in Marketing and Neuroscience Publications and with the Barrow Neurological Foundation.