Summer Internship Program

This page is intended for students who are interested in learning about the Summer Internship Program in the Gabrieli Lab. We offer opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to receive mentorship and become directly involved in our research. Please review the information on this page very carefully for instructions on how to apply to the program, important deadlines to be aware of, and overall expectations of what the internship experience will entail.

We study how the human brain supports mental abilities via neuroimaging of brain function and structure and the analysis of behavior. Our main neuroimaging modalities include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). We pair these imaging modalities with behavioral assessments to assess how a variety of mental abilities (e.g., learning, reading, etc.) are typically supported by the brain, and how these skills vary across human diversity (people of different ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, personalities, cultures). We are also interested in using these approaches to investigate how a variety of neurodevelopmental challenges, such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, and neuropsychiatric challenges, such as anxiety and depression, arise in the brain.

An overarching goal of the lab is to enhance early identification of risks associated with different types of learning and/or neuropsychiatric challenges. We hope to use such knowledge to inform and improve practices and policies in education, and to promote a precision medicine treatment approach for neuropsychiatric disorders. Please explore our lab website to learn more about our research group and ongoing research studies.

Students will be paired with a direct supervisor depending on their research interests and will support existing research studies in many different capacities, which may include assisting with neuroimaging data collection, second-scoring behavioral assessments, helping with literature reviews, and assisting with data pre-processing and analysis. Please note that students will typically not have the opportunity to lead independent research projects, given certain limitations with funding and the duration of the internship program.

In addition to their routine duties (to be discussed with their direct supervisor(s)), students will have the opportunity to attend a weekly lecture series given by Dr. John Gabrieli, weekly lab meetings, and weekly journal club discussions. Interns will also be required to give a brief presentation to the lab at the end of the summer to summarize their research experience. Please note that minors will be limited in some of the ways they are able to be directly involved in some of our research activities. Specifically, minors will not be able to assist with fMRI scanning due to safety considerations.

If you are interested in applying for this summer (2024), please complete this Google form by Sunday, April 7, 2024. Due to high interest, the lab typically selects 10-15 students to participate in the summer internship program. However, this number may vary depending on the availability of supervisors in the lab.

High school students and undergraduate students at MIT, Wellesley College, or any other institution are eligible to apply to the internship.

All interested students will need to submit a formal application by Sunday, April 7, 2024 to be considered for the Summer 2024 Internship Program. The first step of the application includes submitting a completed Google application form (see below) and uploading a copy of your CV. You will be notified within 1-2 weeks of submitting your application if you are selected for an interview. The program typically begins in mid- to late- May and ends in late August, with the specific start and end dates dependent upon the research study and lab supervisor you are paired with.

If you are an MIT or Wellesley College undergraduate, please note that you may be eligible to complete an internship experience for credit and receive compensation through the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). Unfortunately, only undergraduates from MIT or Wellesley College are eligible for the UROP Program. For the 2024 Summer term, the UROP deadline for MIT undergraduates is April 16, and for Wellesley undergraduates, the deadline is June 3. Wellesley undergraduates must cross-register at MIT and submit a UROP application (by the term’s deadline) for each semester that they would like to complete a UROP internship. Please visit this link for more information about other important UROP deadlines, for both MIT and Wellesley students.

• Are there any required prerequisites that I must have in order to apply?
  No specific prerequisites are required to apply to the internship program, although previous experience in research environments may be helpful.
• Who will my supervisor/mentor be?
  You will be paired with a direct supervisor (or co-supervisors) depending on the research interests you describe in your Google application form. Supervisors may be current graduate students in the lab, post-doctoral researchers, or other full-time research staff, depending on your specific interests and previous experience.
• What will my schedule be like?
  Accepted interns should coordinate with their assigned supervisors for specific schedules. Interns will not be expected to work more than 20-40 hours per week.
• Will all of my work be in-person? Is there a remote or hybrid option?
  This will depend on the research study you are assigned to work on, and expectations for your work schedule should be discussed with your direct supervisor(s). All neuroimaging data collection will be conducted in-person only. If you are working on purely computational research tasks or data analysis/pre-processing, you may have the option of a remote or hybrid schedule.
• How long will the internship program last for?
  Typically, the program begins in mid- to late- May and ends in late August. However, we acknowledge the variability in summer schedules, therefore internship start and end dates are flexible and can be discussed with your direct supervisor.
• Will I receive compensation for my work?
  MIT undergraduates may apply for funding under the UROP program. However, please note that funding is not guaranteed. Visiting undergraduates from other institutions may be compensated hourly. Unfortunately, we are not able to compensate high school students at this time.
• Can I receive academic credit?
  Please check with your institution before applying to the internship program. For MIT and Wellesley undergraduates, you may be eligible for academic credit through the UROP program.
• Will housing be provided?
  Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide housing for any visiting undergraduate or high school students. Please ensure that you will have housing before you apply to the program.
• Who can I contact if I have questions about the internship program?
  Madelynn Park (madelynn@mit.edu) and Kimberly Wang (wangki@mit.edu) are full-time Technical Associates in the lab and are the summer internship co-coordinators. Please reach out to them with questions at any time.