Illinois Institute of Technology · Elevate Experiences
Research Opportunities
Paid research at national labs, museums, and universities — in engineering, science, architecture, business, policy, and the humanities.
Research is not only for students headed to a PhD. It is the clearest evidence you can produce that you can define a problem, work without a syllabus, and finish something nobody has finished before. Employers read that as judgment and persistence — which is why research shows up on the resumes of consultants and product managers as often as scientists.
Most of the programs below are paid, many include housing, and they span every discipline Illinois Tech teaches. If you are in architecture, business, psychology, or the humanities, skip to Research Beyond the Lab — those programs are real, funded, and chronically under-applied to.
Research Runs on Early Deadlines
Apply Months Before You Would Expect To
Closing in weeks, not months
- 1NASA Internships, Spring 2027 — September 14, 2026. The nearest major deadline on this page.
- 2DOE SULI, Spring 2027 — September 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET. Paid, 16 weeks, at a national lab.
- 3DOE Community College Internship, Spring 2027 — September 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET. If you transferred in from a community college, check your eligibility.
- 4Argonne Seasonal Internship, Spring 2027 — October 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT. Forty minutes from campus.
Start preparing now for these
- 5NSF REU summer programs — most deadlines fall December through February. Start browsing in the fall, not the spring.
- 6DOE SULI, Summer 2027 — opens in October, closes in early January. Argonne’s summer deadline has run as early as January 7.
- 7NASA Internships, Summer 2027 — February 26, 2027; Fall 2027 — May 21, 2027.
- 8Smithsonian and museum internships — summer sessions apply in late fall and winter.
The single most common reason students miss out on paid research is applying in April for a summer that filled in January. Deadlines shift every cycle — always confirm on the program’s own site before you plan around a date here.
Every section below opens and closes. Nothing is hidden from you — open only what you need, and skip the rest.
SpotlightClaude Corps: $85,000 to Put AI to Work at a Nonprofit — and Braven Is a Host
Braven is one of nine founding host organizations · rolling admissions for upcoming cohorts▾
Rolling Applications · No Degree Required
Claude Corps: $85,000 to Put AI to Work at a Nonprofit — and Braven Is a Host
Claude Corps is a national fellowship from Anthropic, run with CodePath, that places early-career people at nonprofits to apply AI to the organization’s mission — building data systems, automations, and AI-powered tools. Fellows are hired as full-time CodePath employees at $85,000 a year with benefits, for twelve months. The program is placing 1,000 fellows across three cohorts.
Why this page is telling Braven students first
Braven is one of the nine founding host organizations. If you have taken BRVN 200 or worked with Braven, you already know the organization, the mission, and the language its teams use — and that is precisely the fit signal this fellowship screens for. Applicants are expected to have “taken concrete action on a cause, community, or problem they care about.” A Braven student has already done that on the record.
Who Can Apply
Eighteen or older, fewer than two years of full-time work experience, and authorized to work in the United States. No degree is required. You should already use AI tools daily and be willing to relocate, with relocation support provided.
Currently enrolled students can apply as long as you are available for full-time work when your cohort begins. This is a graduating-senior and recent-alumni opportunity, not a summer internship.
Cohorts & Timing
Cohort 1 closed July 17, 2026 and begins October 19, 2026. Cohort 2 begins January 2027. Cohort 3 begins August 2027. Cohorts after the first run on rolling admissions — so there is no single date to miss, and no reason to wait.
Selection runs through skills-based assessments and interviews with Anthropic and CodePath, then an interview with a potential host organization for mutual fit.
What the Year Looks Like
Intensive training up front, then roughly five hours a week of structured training and professional development built into the job, with the rest of your time on project work at your host organization. Mentorship comes from CodePath; technical office hours come from Anthropic.
Founding hosts include Braven, Code the Dream, Heartland Forward, Montgomery County Food Bank, Team Red White & Blue, REEF, SoundOff, StriveTogether, and YMCA of Greater Charlotte.
Apply and Read the Fine Print
Claude Corps Fellow — application →the live posting; rolling admissions for upcoming cohortsClaude Corps fellows FAQ →eligibility, pay, benefits, hours, and the selection processProgram announcement →what the fellowship is and which nonprofits host fellowsCodePath — Claude Corps →CodePath is the employer of record and runs the training
Build the Profile This Wants
Illinois Tech Braven partnership →BRVN 200 is the on-ramp, and Braven is a Claude Corps hostCodePath free courses →AI engineering, cybersecurity, web development, interview prep — free to college studentsBook a career coach →we will read your application before you submit it
Claude Corps is a post-graduation fellowship rather than an undergraduate research program, and it is listed here because the work — scoping a problem, building a system, and reporting what happened — is the same muscle the rest of this page is asking you to build. Verify current cohort status on the application page before you plan around a start date.
1Your First Research Role Is Probably on Campus
Find the work, ask well, and the email template that gets a reply▾
National programs are competitive and most prefer applicants with some prior experience. The fastest way to get that is a professor down the hall who needs help.
Find the Work
Read faculty pages in your department and find two or three whose work you can describe in a sentence. Check recent publications — a professor who published this year is actively running a project.
Illinois Tech Research →centers, institutes, and current initiativesElevate research listings →opportunities posted for our studentsIPRO — Interprofessional Projects →you already have to take two; about 100 project teams run each semester, and a well-chosen IPRO is real research you can citeKaplan Institute and the Idea Shop →the campus innovation hub and makerspace — where a research idea becomes a prototype
Ask Well
Email one professor at a time — mass emails read as mass emails. Name the specific paper or project that interested you; one sentence proves you read it. Say what you can offer: a skill, a course, hours per week, and how long you can commit. Ask for a fifteen-minute conversation, not a job. It is a much easier yes.
The Email That Works
Subject: Illinois Tech student interested in your work on [topic]
Dear Professor [Name], I am a [year] studying [major] at Illinois Tech. I read your [paper or project] on [topic] and was struck by [one specific thing]. I have experience with [skill, course, or tool] and could commit [hours] per week this [semester]. Would you be open to a fifteen-minute conversation about whether you need help on a current project? — [Name, major, year, email]
Under 150 words. One professor at a time. If you do not hear back in two weeks, follow up once — faculty inboxes are brutal, and a polite second email is normal, not pushy.
2National Research Programs
NSF REU, DOE SULI and CCI, NIH, NASA, NIST, NOAA, SMART, PMF▾
These are the flagship programs. They pay a stipend, frequently cover housing and travel, and they carry real weight on a resume or a graduate application.
Start With These Three
NSF REU →summer research in any field NSF funds, including the social sciences; stipend plus housing and travel supportDOE SULI →seventeen national laboratories; weekly stipend, housing or a housing allowance at most labs. Summer, fall, and spring termsDOE Community College Internship →paid technical internship at a DOE lab; if you transferred from a community college, check whether you still qualify
Health, Space & Standards
NIH Summer Internship →biomedical research at the largest medical research agency in the worldNASA Internships (OSTEM) →one application across NASA centers; engineering, science, and business rolesNIST SURF →eleven weeks at the national measurement science laboratoryNOAA Office of Education →Hollings Scholarship, EPP/MSI, and other student programsNOAA Hollings Scholarship →up to $9,500 a year for two years plus a paid 10-week NOAA internship at $700 a week; applications run September through January
Funded Through Graduation
SMART Scholarship →Department of Defense; full tuition, a stipend, and a guaranteed job after graduationNSF Graduate Research Fellowship →apply as a senior; three years of graduate fundingPresidential Management Fellows →the flagship two-year federal leadership fellowship for advanced-degree holdersProFellow →searchable database of 2,700+ fellowships, funding, and research grantsMIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) →eight funded weeks in an MIT lab with graduate-school preparation built in; applications typically close in JanuaryCaltech SURF →running since 1979 and open to visiting undergraduates; you write a research proposal, which is the pointCold Spring Harbor URP →about 20 students a year; $7,000 stipend with room and board covered; deadline January 15
3Two of the Seventeen National Labs Are in Your Backyard
Argonne, Fermilab, Chicago Quantum, the Chicago Fed — and SC26 in Chicago this November▾
The Department of Energy runs seventeen national laboratories. Argonne and Fermilab are both in the Chicago area — commutable, and staffed by researchers who already know Illinois Tech. Very few students in the country can say that. Use it.
Argonne National Laboratory
SULI at Argonne →Spring 2027 closes September 30, 2026; $650 per week plus a $250 weekly housing allowanceArgonne Seasonal Internship →Spring 2027 closes October 30, 2026; 3.0 GPA; U.S. citizens and permanent residentsAll Argonne education programs →undergraduate and graduate appointments and co-ops
4National Laboratories, Lab by Lab
Eleven DOE labs, each with its own programs and application system▾
Every lab below runs its own undergraduate programs in addition to SULI, and application systems differ — some go through the lab directly, some through ORISE or Zintellect. Most require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency; a few do not. Check each one rather than assuming.
Midwest & East
Argonne National Laboratory →Lemont, IL — the closest major lab to campusFermilab →Batavia, IL — particle physics and acceleratorsOak Ridge National Laboratory →Oak Ridge, TN — apply via Zintellect; HERE programBrookhaven National Laboratory →Upton, NY — SULI and research participation via ORISE
West & Mountain
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory →Berkeley, CA — internships, SULI, and faculty-student researchLawrence Livermore National Laboratory →Livermore, CA — summer internships and scholar programsLos Alamos National Laboratory →Los Alamos, NM — undergraduate and graduate student programsSandia National Laboratories →NM and CA — year-round and summer internships and co-ops
Northwest, Energy & Nuclear
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory →Richland, WA — internships, SULI, and research appointmentsNational Renewable Energy Laboratory →Golden, CO — clean energy research internshipsIdaho National Laboratory →Idaho Falls, ID — nuclear and energy internships and co-opsDOE Office of Science (WDTS) →the gateway to SULI, CCI, and lab-based programs across the network
5Federal Agencies, Pathways, and Cleared Work
USAJOBS, OPM Pathways, Zintellect, ORISE, and the science, health, and security agencies▾
The federal government is the largest research employer in the country, and most of its student hiring runs through a handful of systems. Nearly all of these require U.S. citizenship; several require a security clearance, which the agency sponsors. Deadlines are rigid and posted months ahead.
The Systems Everything Runs Through
USAJOBS →the central portal for federal jobs, internships, and Pathways postingsUSAJOBS — students and recent graduates →how the student hiring paths actually workOPM Pathways Programs →Internship, Recent Graduates, and PMF, all applied for through USAJOBSGo Government →the Partnership for Public Service guide to finding and applying for federal rolesZintellect →the submission system for many ORISE, DOE, DHS, EPA, FDA, and CDC research programsORISE Internships & Fellowships →the catalog those federal STEM appointments are drawn from
Science, Health & Environment
NIH Office of Intramural Training →the front door to the NIH Summer Internship Program and other trainee programsEPA student internships →environmental research and policy, many placed through ORISEFDA internships and fellowships →regulatory science and researchCDC internships and fellowships →public health research and epidemiologyUSDA students and recent graduates →agricultural and food science researchscience.gov →cross-agency search across sixty-plus federal science databases
Security, Space & Infrastructure
Virtual Student Federal Service →remote, part-time federal e-internships; applications run July through SeptemberDepartment of State interns and fellows →paid and unpaid student internships and fellowshipsNSA student programs →includes the Stokes Scholarship in cyber and STEMCIA student programs →undergraduate internships, co-ops, and scholarshipsFBI Honors Internship →paid ten-week summer program; 3.0 GPADHS and CISA student programs →including the CISA cyber student volunteer programNASA STEM Gateway →the broader NASA engagement, internship, and fellowship catalogFAA and DOT student programs →aviation and transportation engineering
Economics, Policy & Illinois
Federal Reserve Board internships →economics, data, IT, and cybersecurity; some roles open to non-citizensGSA students and recent graduates →acquisition, technology, and real estateWork.Illinois.gov →central State of Illinois jobs and internshipsIllinois Dunn Fellowship →Governor’s Office policy and leadership fellowship; bachelor’s degree required
6Research Beyond the Lab
Humanities, museums, archives, architecture, design, and economics▾
Architecture, design, business, psychology, policy, history, and the humanities all have funded research programs — and far fewer applicants per seat than the STEM equivalents.
Humanities & Social Sciences
Mellon Mays Fellowship →humanities and humanistic social sciencesNational Endowment for the Humanities →grants and fellowships across the humanitiesPPIA Junior Summer Institute →public policy and international affairs
Museums, Archives & Collections
Smithsonian Internships →art history, natural history, conservation, folklore, material cultureSmithsonian Office of Fellowships →fellowships across every Smithsonian unitLibrary of Congress →archives, cataloging, and digital humanitiesNewberry Library →humanities research, here in Chicago
7Where Your Discipline Posts Its Own Research
APS, ACS, AMS, AAS, AGU, DAAD RISE, BTAA SROP, Amgen Scholars▾
Every major scientific society maintains a list the general databases do not fully index. If you know your field, start here — these pages are smaller, more specific, and far less crowded than the national portals.
Physical Sciences & Math
APS Undergraduate Research →American Physical Society guidance and REU pointersACS Undergraduate Resources →American Chemical Society research resources and SEEDAMS REU Listings →the official American Mathematical Society list of math REUsmathprograms.org →the AMS application system where many math programs are submitted
8Programs With Fewer Applicants and More Support
Consortium programs, the big databases, and what to do if you are not a U.S. citizen▾
These consortia exist to widen who does research, and they tend to offer more mentorship and structure than a general REU. Read the eligibility line first — a narrower pool is an advantage, not a barrier.
Consortium Programs
Leadership Alliance →the SR-EIP summer research portal spanning thirty-plus institutionsLeadership Alliance SR-EIP — apply here →fully funded with stipend, travel, and housing; 3.0 GPA, U.S. citizen or permanent resident; opens November 1 and closes in early FebruaryBreak Through Tech →the AI program and Sprinternships for women and nonbinary students; the Chicago hub runs with UIC, which puts it in reach from campusSACNAS →programs and research opportunities in STEM, plus the largest diversity STEM conferenceMellon Mays Fellowship →the flagship humanities pathway toward the professoriate
Databases Worth Bookmarking
Pathways to Science →the single most comprehensive database of summer research, REUs, fellowships, and scholarshipsCouncil on Undergraduate Research →the field’s professional body; student resources across all disciplinesProFellow →2,700+ fellowships and research grants; free account
If You Are Not a U.S. Citizen
Most federal programs on this page require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. That rules out a great deal — but not everything. University-hosted REUs set their own eligibility, some Federal Reserve roles are open to non-citizens, and international programs like DAAD RISE are built for exactly this.
Office of Global Services →confirm work authorization before you accept any paid research positionInternational Student Hub →Illinois Tech resources for international students
9Where to Look, and What to Present
Search every opening at once, then publish and present what you did▾
Do not browse program by program. These tools let you search hundreds of openings at once, and the second column is how you turn a completed project into a line on your record.
Search Every Opening at Once
NSF ETAP →one common application accepted by many REU sitesNSF REU Site Directory →check this too; not every funded site posts to ETAPPathways to Science →large searchable database of funded programs across every fieldscience.gov →federal science discovery across sixty-plus agency databases
Publish and Present It
NCUR 2027 — Grand Rapids, April 12–14 →the national undergraduate research conference; registration closes March 5, 2027ACM CHI Student Research Competition →HCI research posters and talks; the 2027 SRC deadline is January 21, 2027SC26 Students@SC — Chicago →student research and HPC programs, November 15–20, 2026Tapia Conference →computing conference with student scholarships and a research trackFulbright U.S. Student Program →research grants abroad for graduating seniors
10Galvin Library — Your Unfair Advantage
A librarian will meet with you one-on-one, and 100+ databases are already paid for▾
Students pay for library access in tuition and then never use it. Galvin holds more than 100 online research databases, and its librarians will sit down with you individually to plan a literature search. Outside the university, the same access costs thousands a year.
Get a Human on Your Side
Book a research appointment →a subject librarian will help you build a search strategy; the most under-used service on campusChat with a librarian →live help, plus library@illinoistech.edu and 312.567.7552Research Guides by subject →librarian-curated starting points for your discipline
Find and Keep the Literature
A-Z Database List →IEEE, ACS, ScienceDirect, JSTOR and the rest, free to youZotero →the free citation manager; start it before your first paper, not after your fiftiethInterlibrary Loan (MyILL) →they will get any paper from another library, free. Never pay a publisher $40 for an articleConnected Papers →map the citation neighborhood around one paper you like
The move that impresses a professor: read one of their papers through the library, cite it correctly in your email, and mention a specific finding. It takes an hour and it separates you from every student who wrote “I am interested in your research.”
11Be Prepared for Your Research Experience
Read Before You Write — ethics clearance, protocols, and arriving useful on day one▾
Arrive already cleared and already fluent in how research is actually conducted. Every item below is free, and finishing the ethics training before you ask means you are useful on day one instead of week three.
Clear the Paperwork First
CITI Program →research ethics and human-subjects training; finish it before you ask, and you arrive already clearedOffice of Research Integrity →the federal standard for responsible conduct of researchIllinois Tech Office of Research →IRB, compliance, and institutional requirements
The Deadline Is Earlier Than You Think
Bring us the program you are eyeing and we will help you build the application — essay, CV, and the email to the professor.
elevate@illinoistech.edu · MTCC Suite 106 · 312.567.6800
Browse current research opportunities below ▾
