10 Biotech Research Programs for High School Students
Biotech research programs for high school students provide you with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience beyond the classroom and delve into highly specialized topics. Whether you’re studying genetics in a lab or conducting archival research in history, they clarify the fields you are interested in and the career you’d like to pursue.
Participation in biotech research programs for high school students will also strengthen college applications, as it demonstrates to admissions teams your initiative and intellectual curiosity. You’ll also get to work alongside mentors who offer valued advice and letters of recommendation. In this blog, we’ve curated a list of 10 biotech research programs for high school students for you to explore. Let’s get started!
1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Starts from $2,990. Financial aid available
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. February 9, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3, 2025
Eligibility: High school students who demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program for high school students that offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. As a participant, you’ll get to choose research topics from subjects like psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
2. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: $5,950. Need-based financial aid available
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year. February 16, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort
Program Dates: The spring cohort starts on March 3, 2025. The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 – 11 with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA). Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites; details can be found here.
Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. You can choose from subject areas like data science, machine learning, political theory, and more!
Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
Location: Remote
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. February 9, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3, 2025
Eligibility: High school students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up that offers internships across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. As an intern, you will work closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company. Here is the application form. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
4. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Starting from $2,290. Need-based financial aid available
Application Deadline: Rolling. January 19, 2025, for the spring cohort
Program Dates: Multiple 12 – 15-week cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3, 2025
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students from around the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or have experience with AI concepts or Python.
Founded and run by Harvard graduate students, Veritas AI offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. If you’re looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science, then you would benefit from the AI Scholars program. It is a 10-session boot camp where you will be introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another more advanced option is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, you will get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that you will also have access to the in-house publication team to help you secure publications in high school research journals. You can check out some examples of past projects here.
5. Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internships at the University of Florida Health
Location: Palm Beach State College, Palm Beach Gardens, FL + Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, Jupiter, FL
Stipend: $4,480 issued bi-weekly
Application Deadline: March 2, 2025
Program Dates: June 2 – August 1, 2025
Eligibility: High school students who have U.S. citizenship or are permanent residents and are rising juniors or seniors in a Palm Beach or Martin County high school; must be 16 by the first day of the program and have a minimum GPA of 3.0
The Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internship at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute is a highly regarded nine-week program for rising juniors and seniors interested in exploring biological and chemical research. Established in 2005, the program provides students from Palm Beach and Martin counties with a hands-on introduction to academic research, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and drug discovery.
As a participant, you’ll begin the internship with a rigorous one-week introductory course, where you are trained in essential biomedical research techniques and applications. This initial phase lays the groundwork for success in the lab as you gain practical skills you will apply throughout the program.
During the remaining weeks, you will engage directly with professional scientists, working on experimental design, data analysis, and research planning, all while contributing to innovative projects. Weekly seminars enrich the experience by exposing you to broader scientific concepts and career insights. The program concludes with the submission of a written scientific abstract and a final presentation, where you share your research results.
6. Cell-Science Summer Internship Program
Location: Fremont, FL
Cost: $300
Application Deadline: Not mentioned
Program Dates: 8 weeks from June – July
Eligibility: Students who have completed their junior year of high school
The Rational Drug Design and Discovery Program offers high school students an eight-week intensive introduction to the world of biotechnology and drug design. As a participant, you will be introduced to the field of bioinformatics through research projects focused on the development and discovery of new therapeutic drugs.
You will benefit from active researchers and professionals who provide practical experience in experimental design, data analysis, and state-of-the-art methodologies applied in drug discovery. Workshops combined with guest lectures are integrated into the program, particularly in career pathways or areas of skill development in the biotechnology industry, to provide a wide range of perspectives.
The program is concluded with the requirement that each student submit comprehensive project reports and make oral presentations to showcase their findings. This final component not only further develops in them the skills of communication and research but also fosters long-term interest in the sciences and biotechnology.
7. University of Pennsylvania Summer Academy in Applied Sciences Technology (SAAST) – Biotechnology
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $8,500 program fee + $85 application fee
Application Deadline: Applications open in January and close in April
Program Dates: TBD for 2025
Eligibility: High school students who have completed at least one year’s coursework in Biology and Chemistry
The Engineering Summer Academy at Penn, ESAP, is an intensive three-week program for students with a passion for exploring college-level engineering. The program offers both theoretical and practical applications using state-of-the-art technologies in which you can work side by side with internationally distinguished faculty, receive college credit, and build relationships with a community of peers from around the world while residing on campus. Among these many course offerings is one focused on biotechnology.
The biotechnology course focuses on genetic engineering and provides a robust introduction to molecular biology. You will be able to perform lab work with molecular cloning and work on a group research proposal project, researching a current problem in the field of biotechnology. The program will also involve the journal club for discussions of the latest scientific literature and the opportunity to hear from Penn faculty members about their current research in the field.
8. Biorocket Research Internship Program at Genspace
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $2,000
Application Deadline: January 8, 2025
Program Dates: June 30 – August 15, 2025
Eligibility: High school students attending a NYC Public or Charter school within 45 minutes of Genspace; must be 16
The Genspace Biorocket Research Internship is a paid, six-month internship for high school students interested in biotechnology and genetic engineering. During the internship, you will be able to participate in advanced projects in DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and genetic engineering.
You will learn from an experienced scientific mentor while working in advanced laboratories with state-of-the-art technologies. This includes unique opportunities, such as field trips and improv training that help them enhance scientific communication. Projects completed by previous interns have ranged from investigating the effects of algal growth on water purification to comparing the microbiomes between two Red Oak species. Examples from previous participants can be seen here.
9. Biotech Summer Experience at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Location: Livermore, CA
Cost: No cost
Application Deadline: Applications typically open in March and close in April
Program Dates: 2 weeks in July
Eligibility: High school students older than 16 with a GPA of at least 3.3
The LLNL Biotech Summer Experience offers an engaging two-week dive into molecular biology and bioinformatics for budding researchers. As a participant, you will work on projects centered around isolating, characterizing, and sequencing genes from duckweed species.
Throughout the program, you will develop practical expertise in essential lab techniques, including plasmid DNA purification, PCR (polymerase chain reactions), restriction enzyme digestion, and gel electrophoresis. You will also employ cutting-edge bioinformatics software to perform gene sequence analysis, using the same tools as professional scientists worldwide.
A unique aspect of this program is the submission of participants' DNA sequence findings to GenBank, the international DNA repository, with contributors receiving recognition for their work. This hands-on experience not only enhances scientific skills but also makes a tangible impact in the field of genomics.
10. Biotech Research at the Boston Leadership Institute
Location: Online
Cost: $1,200
Application Deadline: Not mentioned. It is advised you submit it early
Program Dates: June 30 – July 11, 2025
Eligibility: High school students
This unique program brings hands-on biotechnology and genetic engineering directly to your doorstep. In this course, under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Lazebnik—a Tufts School of Medicine PhD in Genetics graduate—you will learn central ideas in molecular biology by doing fun at-home experiments. The institute forwards the latest laboratory equipment directly to you so that you may perform advanced-level experiments without being bound by a formal laboratory setting.
Key topics dealt with in the curriculum are bacterial transformation, designer proteins, genetic engineering, and the development of necessary skills in micropipetting—a basic manipulative technique in molecular biology research. One of the high points of the program is the fact that it deals with current issues, including antibody-based methods for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
You’ll also get to carry out an individual project in the field of genetic diseases, choosing one that interests you and doing more detailed research on it. This multi-disciplinary course not only develops technical competencies but also raises awareness about the current developments in the field of biotechnology.
Are you looking to start a project or research paper in the field of AI and ML? Consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI is an AI program designed for high schoolers. It’s founded and run by Harvard graduate students. The program aims to give students the opportunity to create unique projects in the field of AI. Participants will learn more about AI from researchers and experts and work 1-on-1 with mentors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and more. In the past year, we’ve had over a thousand students learn with us! You too can apply!
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