Academic Year Fellowships

The Jackson Laboratory welcomes applications from high school juniors and seniors, and undergraduate students interested in a research fellowship during the academic year. 

A limited number of in-person, hybrid, and fully-remote research opportunities are available with researchers at our Maine and Connecticut campuses. Online applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Most academic year research projects start in the fall and continue through late spring. Application guidelines and fellowship requirements are described below.

Mentored Research

Students join a JAX research group and learn and practice the technical skills necessary to become a productive member of the research team. They also develop personal skills including, problem-solving, effective scientific communication, time management, and teamwork. Working with their mentor, students design an independent research project within the scope of the lab’s ongoing research program. Mentors include JAX faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and other biomedical research professionals. Over the course of the fellowship, students will experience all aspects of research, from experimental design, to data analysis, to reporting results. Fellows will meet with lab members and with program staff to share results, learn new skills, and build their community of student scientists.

Academic Year Fellowship Requirements

1. Academic credit. Academic year fellowships are not about ‘volunteering in a lab’. An academic year fellowship must be tied to the student’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit from the student’s home institution. JAX itself is not a credit-granting institution. Proof of ability to fulfill an academic requirement or to receive academic credit will be required.
2. Time commitment. Participants are expected to make a serious commitment to spend significant time at the Laboratory each week in order to gain a meaningful experience that allows for the development of an independent research project. Fellowships require a minimum commitment of 180 hours during normal business hours. Participation in certain time-intensive extracurricular activities (performing arts and sports) in addition to heavy coursework typically does not allow adequate time to fulfill the requirements of the fellowship.
3. Compensation. Academic Year Fellowships are not paid a stipend.

Eligibility

High school students must be enrolled as a junior or senior in good standing at a high school within commuting distance of the Jackson Laboratory campus in either Farmington, CT or Bar Harbor, ME. High school students are invited to apply for in-person or hybrid fellowships. Only students 16 years and older may apply. High school students must commit to the fellowship for a full academic year; partial year fellowships cannot be accommodated. All fellows must spend a minimum of 180 hours at the Laboratory as part of the fellowship. Concurrent to a JAX academic year fellowship, students must be enrolled in an independent study or student research program for which credit is awarded (see Academic Credit, above).

College students must be enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing with their home institution. Undergraduates are invited to apply for in-person, hybrid, or remote fellowships. Admissions preference is given to undergraduate applicants who can commit to a year-long academic project. All fellows must spend a minimum of 180 hours at the Laboratory as part of the fellowship experience. Concurrent to a JAX academic year fellowship, students must be enrolled in an independent study or student research program for which credit is awarded.

Application Guidelines

Applications are considered on a rolling basis, and most fellowships will be awarded in the fall semester. Students must submit an online application form, including a current transcript and teacher recommendation.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Farmington, Connecticut

Contacts

Laura Muller, Ph.D.
Program Director, Undergraduate and STEM Education
Laura.muller@jax.org

Sarah Wojiski, Ph.D.
Program Director
sarah.wojiski@jax.org