Research and Training Opportunities
Salk welcomes students who are interested in gaining experience and exploring careers in biomedical research. Through our various summer research opportunities, students receive hands-on training from a network of mentors and build research skills in a cutting-edge laboratory environment.
The programs below encourage applications from students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in STEM. Students may apply to more than one opportunity.
Salk EDGE Summer Program
The Salk EDGE summer program aims to Elevate Diversity in Graduate Education by equipping graduate students for competitive careers in academic science. This program will support up to 12 students currently enrolled in PhD programs across the country to come together at the beautiful Salk campus for 2 weeks. Students will choose a topic to be immersed in during their tenure at Salk and learn from world-renowned Salk scientists. The goal of the program is to train students on cutting edge techniques while also supporting the use of these new techniques in their home labs. In addition to a fully funded 2 week program (including travel and lodging) the students will be awarded a $2,000 pilot grant to be used in their PhD labs in order to implement these new technologies. The Salk EDGE will be a competitive program that will help prepare students for Post-Doctoral Fellowship positions in top-tier labs across the country. Graduate Students who consider themselves underrepresented in STEM should apply.
Salk Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Salk SURF)
Salk SURF is a paid 10-week mentored research internship. The mission of Salk SURF is to broaden access to summer research experiences that inspire and empower students to identify their strengths and explore research, academic, and career possibilities. Salk SURF provides roundtrip travel and transportation to the Salk Institute, housing accommodations, and a competitive full-time hourly wage. Students attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research are encouraged to apply.
Diverse Inclusive Scientific Community Offering a Vision for an Ecosystem Reimagined (DISCOVER)
The inaugural Salk Institute for Biological Sciences Postdoctoral Symposium for a Diverse Inclusive Scientific Community Offering a Vision for an Ecosystem Reimagined (DISCOVER) in academic research is designed to discover diverse talent and build a supportive, collaborative, and inclusive community.
Through the DISCOVER Symposium, future postdocs will have the opportunity to meet faculty mentors who could become future postdoctoral advisors, facilitating new mentor-mentee pairing opportunities and holding space for collaborative/co-mentorship opportunities to form across disciplines of biology, not typically found in traditional postdoctoral interview formats. In this two-day symposium, postdocs will also present their research, participate in discussion groups and professional development workshops, informally chat with Salk faculty, and tour Salk.
Applicants must submit a cover letter, diversity statement, CV, and a list of 5 preferred faculty mentors to DISCOVER2024@salk.edu by March 1, 2024.
Rising Stars Symposium
Every year, Salk brings underrepresented postdoctoral fellows to the Institute for the one-day Rising Star Symposium. Postdocs are typically nominated or self-nominate in years 3-4 of their training, prior to their formal entry into the job market. A selected number of nominated trainees receive the Rising Star Award and an invitation to the Rising Star Symposium where they present their research and meet with faculty one on-one and over dinner. Rising Stars are also paired with a Salk faculty mentor and are maintained informed of relevant Salk recruitment opportunities.
Heithoff-Brody High School Scholars Program
The Heithoff-Brody High School Summers Scholars program is an eight-week paid internship opportunity for high school students to gain real-life experience performing scientific research while developing skill sets needed for careers in a STEM field while being mentored by Salk scientists. Founded more than 40 years ago, the Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars program fulfills Jonas Salk’s vision of introducing high school students to laboratory life and the possibility of a career in science.
