Students are encouraged to become involved in undergraduate research
during the academic year or during the summer with URI faculty, with scientists at other nearby research laboratories (e.g., NOAA, NMFS, RI-DEM, etc.), or at other institutions or marine labs around the country.

On-Campus Research Opportunities 

Students should discuss their interests with their advisor, read about faculty research interests, and then contact individual faculty members with whom they might be interested in working to find out about the availability of suitable positions in their laboratories. Undergraduate research positions may be paid (via research grants, Work-Study, or URI student employment funds), students may work on a voluntary basis, or students may earn academic credit (e.g., BIO 491, 492; OCG 493, 494, etc.).

In addition, the following three programs provide URI undergraduates with paid research opportunities during the summer:

URI Coastal and Environmental Fellows Program (summer, paid, and 1-credit seminar in the following fall) – the CELS undergraduate research program, which involves >40 students who work in research labs on the Kingston and Bay Campuses each summer. Apply early in the Spring semester.

Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR Summer Fellowships (SURF; summer, paid). For qualified students enrolled in Rhode Island colleges or universities who are interested in participating in a 10-week research project in the life sciences. Applications due in April.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO; summer). This program is the National Science Foundation-funded REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program hosted by the Graduate School of Oceanography. Apply early in the Spring semester.

NEW Listing of All Experiential Learning Opportunities at URI compiled by CELS (2019)

Research Internships at Other Institutions, Marine Labs etc.

• Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML;  Univ. New Hampshire and Cornell Univ.; on Appledore Island, in the Gulf of Maine, off Portsmouth, NH) offers paid research and communication internships (3-10 weeks in length) in marine biology (e.g., intertidal ecology, seabird ecology, marine mammal ecology) and  sustainable engineering for all majors. SML provides room & board, a stipend, and roundtrip boat transportation to and from Appledore Island. Also open to graduating seniors (the summer following graduation).
• National Science Foundation REU Internships – listing for all paid research internship programs across the US. Some of these include:
  • Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences REU Program – Fall semester
  • MBL – Biological Discovery in Woods Hole REU Program– Summer
  • Blinks – NSF REU Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington – Summer
• Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (PEP) – in Woods Hole, MA – paid summer research internships (for students from underrepresented groups)
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Fellowships
• Gulf of Maine Research Institute – (Portland, ME)
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
  • http://www.volunteer.noaa.gov/index.html
  • http://www.careers.noaa.gov/special_programs.html
• School for Field Studies – field internships in several countries
• Listings of Internships Around the US:
  • Internship Opportunities in Ecology, Animal & Plant Biology & Marine Science – a HUGE resource including links to HUNDREDS of internships around the country (updated each year)
  • Internships in Science and Policy – huge listing of opportunities for undergraduates, new graduates, and graduate students.
  • Paid Summer Undergraduate Research Placements: Listing of over 800 programs – REU, NASA and other paid summer research opportunities for undergrads

Other Off-Campus Internships (may not necessarily be research, per se):

• New England Aquarium
• Mystic Aquarium
• Roger Williams Park Zoo
• Save the Bay

Other Resources for Finding Internships:

• URI Center for Career and Experiential Education (Roosevelt Hall)