Summer High School Research Internship

Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (SURI)

This program is open to both high school and undergraduate interns, who are paired with faculty in translational research at Houston Methodist. Each intern will take on their own scientific research project, and at the end of the internship, they will present their findings and compete in a poster presentation competition.

Throughout the program, interns will participate in weekly seminars focused on career development and professional growth. They will also have the chance to attend didactic lectures delivered by scientists and physician researchers from Houston Methodist.

Interns receive guidance and mentorship from leaders in their respective labs, gaining valuable professional exposure through various networking opportunities. The internship offers a comprehensive experience, with interns participating in diverse social activities that enrich their summer. Some interns, in collaboration with their mentors, even have the opportunity to publish their work, with many discovering potential career paths at Houston Methodist.

We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to carefully review the requirements before applying.

Program Overview

The Houston Methodist Academic Institute offers unparalleled 10-week summer internship programs, providing selected interns with a unique opportunity to collaborate with renowned researchers.

Important Dates

2027 Program Dates: June 1, 2027 – August 6, 2027

Application Dates: Dec. 4, 2026 - Jan. 29, 2027

Application Requirements

• Applications must be completed in full by 12:00pm (CT), January 30, 2026.
• Undergraduate students may apply to only one of the following programs: Summer Undergraduate Research Internship, Fields Rosenberg Surgical Fellowship, Kadoorie Cardiovascular Internship
• High school juniors and seniors may apply to the High School Emerging Researchers Internship only.
• The link to the summer internship application portal will be visible on the program webpages starting Dec. 2, 2024.
• The following items must be completed in the application portal: Demographic information of student, Short essay questions, Upload of current resume, Upload of current transcript (official or unofficial), On the application, you will enter the email addresses of your two recommenders, and we will send them the Letter of Recommendation form to complete.
• Once you have completed your application and we receive your letters of recommendation, you will receive an email confirming that all required materials have been received for your application to proceed to the next steps in the selection process.
• We will notify you in March regarding your selection for the 2025 Summer Research Internship Program.

Note: Documents should be less than 4 MB each and in Adobe PDF format only.

Eligibility

Applicants must be completing their junior or senior year and be 16 years of age by the start of the program to be eligible for the High School Research Internship Program. The Summer Undergraduate Research Internship reserves a limited number of slots for high school students. High school students are not eligible to receive a stipend for participation in the Summer Research Internship Program.

Currently, only US citizens, Legal Permanent Residents and Foreign Nationals who already hold a legal visa status (F-1, J-1, EADs) are eligible to apply to any of the internship programs.

Location and Schedule

The internship is held at the main Houston Methodist Hospital campus in the Texas Medical Center, located at 6565 Fannin St. Houston, TX 77030.

Student workdays are 8 hours, approximately 8:30am-5:00pm, except for the July 4th holiday. Full-time commitment for all 10 weeks is required.

Specialty Placement

The application will ask you to list your top three specialty preferences. While our selection committee will work hard to match accepted students with their preferences, placement in the various research fields is based on availability and lab capacity limitations.

Housing and Transportation

Participants will be responsible for securing their own housing arrangements. However, after admittance into the program, participants will be provided information on housing options available to them. For commuting, interns may choose to receive either a Smithlands parking pass or a paid QCard for using the Houston Metro service.