image: Gianna Frank, 2024 Summer Fellow
Credit: MMRI
UTICA, NY – The MMRI Summer Fellowship is a 10-week, hands-on training program designed to immerse undergraduate and graduate students in cutting-edge scientific research. This year’s fellowship will run from Monday, May 11, 2026, through Friday, July 17, 2026, at MMRI, located at 2150 Bleecker Street, Utica, New York, and is open to both local and national undergraduate and graduate students.
Fellows will gain hands-on laboratory experience, mentorship from some of the nation’s leading scientists and valuable insight into the process of scientific discovery. The program also offers opportunities to network with peers and experts, attend educational workshops and receive guidance on medical and graduate school applications.
"This summer fellowship not only provided me with the excellent opportunity to gain practical experience of numerous lab procedures, but it let me make the connections in the scientific community across the United States I still maintain,” said Dmytro Davydenko, 2024 Summer Fellow attending Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina. “Moreover, the tight interactions between the labs at MMRI also allowed me as a fellow to learn from scientists of various backgrounds and areas of expertise!"
Undergraduate and graduate students pursuing science-related programs, including biology, chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, nanomedicine, physiology, drug delivery and other life sciences, are encouraged to apply.
"MMRI gave me the opportunity to experience scientific research outside the classroom that is applicable to real people around the globe,” said Richard Chen, 2024 Summer Fellow attending University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. “A state-of-the-art leader in biomedical research, you won't regret your experience here. There's no other experience in the Upstate New York area that truly matches up to MMRI."
MMRI's Summer Fellowship Program has proven to be a pivotal stepping stone for students aiming to pursue a wide range of prestigious careers in healthcare and science, with many of them going on to pursue higher education in medical, veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals and dentistry.
To be eligible for the Summer Fellowship Program, applicants must have completed at least one year of undergraduate coursework and be in good academic standing during the semester immediately preceding the start of the internship. A selection committee, consisting of leadership from participating departments, will review applications with selection based on submitted application materials, including academic transcripts and letters of recommendation.
“The summer fellowship helped me to decide on my future career path that I wasn't necessarily sure of prior to the program,” said Gianna Frank, 2024 Summer Fellow and pre-medical student at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. “Participating in this fellowship not only taught me skills necessary for hands-on benchwork, but it also showed me the ‘behind the scenes’ of the entire research process.”
To learn more about MMRI’s Summer Fellowship Program, visit mmri.edu/summerfellow. The application deadline is Friday, February 6, 2026.