Summer Interns

The application window for our 2024 summer internship program has closed, and no new applicants can be considered. We hope to have decisions back to this year’s applicants no later than March 1, 2024.

Each summer we run an internship program for 2-6 students. Our interns are usually undergraduates but occasionally have been younger or older than that. We accept interns with a variety of levels of experience, including those with very little prior research experience, and also those with more experience. The 2024 internship program will run from June 3 to August 9. Interns are expected to work about 30 hours/week in our lab, in person at our lab in Cambridge, MA. Interns are provided with a stipend of $4,500. Each intern works closely with one or two senior members of the lab on current research projects. We also provide a number of different research training and professional development events, social events, etc.

Update: In recent years, due to national and institutional restrictions this program has been restricted to those currently residing or studying in the United States. However, for the 2024 summer internship program, we may be able to hire interns from abroad. There are difficult visa issues to be worked out and we cannot promise that it will be successful in all cases, but we will now welcome from applications from students abroad.

To apply to the internship, please fill out this form, and then send a current CV/resume and transcript (screen shot or PDF is fine) to Fiery Cushman at cushman@fas.harvard.edu. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2024.

Research Assistants

Currently there are no openings for paid, full time, professional research assistants. If a position opens, information will be made available on this website.

Every semester several undergraduate students work in the lab as research assistants for course credit. These positions are usually filled by undergraduates enrolled at Harvard. For other students, the summer internship program is typically a better opportunity. Harvard undergraduates interested in working in the lab are encouraged to send an email expressing their interest, describing their goals and relevant experience in 1-2 paragraphs, and including a resume or CV. Do not worry if you have no experience; we take on students with a variety of backgrounds in science, including novices. (However, we do typically have more students interested than available positions). Please email Fiery expressing interest during the second and third weeks of August for fall term work, or during the first and second weeks of January for spring term work.

Senior Honors Theses

The application deadline for submitting a request to complete a Senior Honors Thesis in the lab is by January 15th of a student’s junior year at Harvard. Typically, more students apply to complete theses than the lab can support, so we must be selective in the students we accept to complete honors research in the lab. Additionally, we give preference to students who are current Research Assistants in lab; therefore, if you are not an RA, it will be particularly important to schedule a meeting with the lab’s Principal Investigator, Fiery Cushman, to discuss the possibility of conducting a thesis.

No particular application materials are required to be considered to conduct honors research in the lab. Please directly email Fiery to express interest in conducting a senior thesis in the lab.

Visiting Students and Fellows

If you are interested in joining the lab as a visiting student or fellow (e.g., a visiting doctoral student from another University, a professor on sabbatical, etc.) please email Fiery with a brief description of your interest and plans. Please understand that we receive many more requests than we can accommodate.

Prospective Graduate Students

This year (2024/2025) I will be reviewing applications for graduate students who wish to affiliate with the lab. Here are some tips:

  1. I read your personal statement very closely. I am interested to hear in detail about your past research experiences, your current interests, and some examples of the kinds of things you might want to study in the future.
  2. I am also very interested in your writing sample(s). Please make these things that reflect your own effort and writing. I would much rather read a term paper that you wrote than see a published manuscript that you played a much smaller role in (for instance). If one thing doesn’t seem like enough, go ahead and send two.
  3. I take your letters of recommendation very seriously.
  4. If you wish to send along an email or some materials before the deadline by email feel free to do so. I will take a look at these if I can, and I will get in touch if I think it will be productive. But, I really start to think about graduate admissions when the applications are in. Do not be discouraged if you do not hear back from me before then.