DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

Overview: 

This fellowship is intended for undergraduate Division of Life Sciences majors pursuing novel, independent research under the supervision of a Division of Life Sciences faculty member. Awardees are expected to work in the lab full-time (37.5 hours/week) for 10 weeks and present at our summer poster session in August. The Fellowship is supported by an endowment from our generous donors, Duncan and Nancy MacMillan, and by contributions from DLS departments.

Award: $5,000 

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PROCEDURES AND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

The Fellowship is open to declared Life Science majors (Biological Science (119), Cell Biology and Neuroscience (146), Genetics (447), and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (694)) with previous research experience, who are pursuing novel, independent undergraduate research under the supervision of a Division of Life Sciences faculty member.

You must be eligible to work in the U.S. to be awarded a fellowship.  Preference will be given to students who have not previously been awarded a DLS SURF Program fellowship.

The DLS SURF committee, which includes faculty representatives from the four eligible majors, will consider the feasibility of the proposed research, the applicant's GPA, the rigor of their coursework, and research experience, in making selections.

Applicants must have prior research experience in the laboratory of their current faculty research mentor.  The faculty research mentors eligible for the DLS SURF must come from the CBN (https://cbn.rutgers.edu/people/faculty), Genetics (https://genetics.rutgers.edu/people/faculty), or MBB (https://mbb.rutgers.edu/people/faculty) undergraduate programs. This is due to departmental funding support for the fellowships.  Faculty from RWJMS, SEBS, other SAS departments, Pharmacy, or Biomedical Engineering are not eligible to serve as Faculty Research Mentors for this specific fellowship. This fellowship application requires that the applicant's DLS Faculty Research Mentor provide a letter of support for the applicant, and the applicant must prepare a 1–to 2-page research proposal describing their summer research project. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

The DLS-SURF is a 10-week fellowship for full-time (37.5 hours/week) research starting June 1, 2026, and ending August 7, 2026.   DLS-SURF recipients are NOT allowed to register for any summer course credits that meet during work hours.  DLS -SURF recipients are NOT allowed to receive concurrent fellowships from other sources. This fellowship program does NOT provide housing; however, fellows are eligible to apply for on-campus housing through the Rutgers Internship Housing Program.

Fellows are required to create a short research video for the general public at the midpoint of the fellowship.   They are also required to prepare a poster of their research.  This year, they will present their research during the poster session of our Twentieth Anniversary DLS SURF Symposium scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2026. Participation in this event is mandatory, and all DLS SURF Faculty Research Mentors are also expected to attend this celebration!

There is one single application for the fellowships offered through DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program- the DLS-SURF and HGI-SURF. You may apply to both scholarships if eligible. Please review the requirements carefully to ensure you and your faculty research mentor are eligible. Ineligible applications will not be evaluated.  If you have any questions regarding the application itself or eligibility to apply, please get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

(A) Materials to be Contributed by the Student Applicant:

      (1) 2026 Application cover page (download here)

      (2) Current transcript (unofficial)    

      (3) CV or resume

      (4) Research proposal (1-2 pages- do not exceed 2 pages)

Please have all of the above information completed before beginning your application in the portal.  Please save the required items above individually, and before uploading, be sure to name each document with your Last Name, First Name, SURF26, and the application item name. You will upload each item separately in the portal. Example document file names for student John Doe are DoeJohnSURF26Coverpage, DoeJohnSURF26CV, DoeJohnSURF26transcript, and DoeJohnSURF26proposal. Applicants should receive approval from their faculty research mentor before applying and confirm that they will prepare their letter of support. Thank you!

Please use the following link to submit your completed application:

DLS SURF/HGI SURF Student Application Portal

(B) Materials to be completed by the Faculty Research Mentor:

       (1) Mentor statement supporting the student’s application, including an outline of the laboratory environment, plans for student training and supervision, and verification that the lab possesses sufficient resources to fund the proposed project.

 Faculty should submit the letter of support through the following link: 

Faculty Research Mentor Support Letter Submission Form 

Completed applications (including Faculty Research Mentor letters) are due by Monday, April 20th. 

Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered.

Award notification: Fellows and their faculty research mentors will be notified by early May with an award letter emailed to their Rutgers email account. We request a response to activate the award letter within one week. 

Overview:

This fellowship is intended for Genetics majors who are pursuing novel, independent cancer genetics or cancer genomics research under the supervision of a Rutgers-NB faculty member. Awardees are expected to work in the lab full-time (37.5 hours/week) for 10 weeks and present at our summer poster session in August.

Award: $5,000

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PROCEDURES AND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

The Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey MacMillan Cancer Genetics Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (HGI-SURF) award includes a $5,000 stipend for a 10-week full-time summer research experience. The Fellowship is funded by the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey and by a generous endowment from Duncan and Nancy MacMillan.

The fellowship is open to declared Genetics (447) majors pursuing novel, independent cancer genetics/genomics research under the supervision of a Rutgers–New Brunswick faculty member. Faculty Research Mentors are not limited to the Division of Life Sciences. 

You must be eligible to work in the U.S. to receive a fellowship. 

Preference will be given to students who have not previously been awarded a DLS SURF program fellowship.

The DLS SURF committee will consider the feasibility of the proposed research, the student's GPA, the rigor of their coursework, and their research experience.

Applicants must have secured a placement in a cancer genetics/genomics laboratory with a faculty research mentor before applying for this fellowship and must have prior research experience.  This fellowship application requires that the applicant's faculty research mentor provide a letter of support and that the applicant prepare a 1–2-page research proposal. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

The HGI-SURF program fellowships are full-time (37.5 hours/week) fellowships for a period of 10 weeks starting June 1, 2026, and ending August 7, 2026.  Full-time HGI-SURF recipients are NOT allowed to register for summer course credits that meet during work hours. HGI-SURF recipients are NOT allowed to receive a concurrent fellowship from another source.  This fellowship program does NOT provide housing; however, fellows are eligible to apply for on-campus housing through the Rutgers Internship Housing Program.

 Fellows are required to create a short research video for the general public at the midpoint of the fellowship.   They are also required to prepare a poster of their research and present it at our Twentieth Anniversary DLS SURF Symposium scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2026. Participation in this event is mandatory, and faculty research mentors are also expected to attend. 

Application deadline and procedures

There is one single application for the fellowships offered through DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program- the DLS-SURF and HGI-SURF. You may apply to more than one type of fellowship if eligible. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Dr. Carr-Schmid.  Review the requirements carefully to ensure you are eligible. Ineligible students will not be evaluated.

(A) Materials to be Contributed by the Student Applicant:

      (1) 2026 Application cover page (download here)

      (2) Current transcript (unofficial)    

      (3) CV or resume

      (4) Research proposal (1-2 pages- do not exceed 2 pages)

Please have all of the above information completed before beginning your application in the portal. Please save the above required items individually. Before uploading, be sure to name each document with the following format: Last Name, First Name, SURF26, and the application item name. Upload each item separately.  Example document file names for student John Doe: DoeJohnSURF26Coverpage, DoeJohnSURF26transcript, and DoeJohnSURF26proposal. Applicants should receive approval from their faculty research mentor before applying and confirm that they will prepare their letter of support. Thank you!

Please use the following link to submit your completed application: '

DLS SURF/HGI SURF Student Application Portal 

(B) Materials to be completed by the Faculty Research Mentor: 

 (1) Mentor statement supporting the student’s application, an outline of the laboratory environment, plans for student training and supervision, and certification that the lab possesses sufficient resources to fund the proposed project.

 Faculty should email the letter of support through the following link: 

Faculty Research Mentor Support Letter Submission Form 

Completed applications (including Faculty Research Mentor statements) are due by Monday, April 20, 2026

Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered.

Award notification: Fellows and their faculty research mentors will be notified by early May with an award letter emailed to their Rutgers email account. We request a response to activate the award letter within one week.