If you’re interested in how the brain functions, neuroscience research programs and internships for high school students offer the opportunity to explore this field. These programs typically include lab work, research projects, and expert guidance, allowing you to study areas like neurobiology, cognitive science, and neural networks. You will have the chance to combine classroom learning with practical experience, building skills for further studies or careers in neuroscience.
Here are 10 neuroscience research programs for high school students:
1. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science Program (JHIBS)
Subject areas: Neurological sciences
Location: Virtual or in-person at the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology, east Baltimore Campus, Baltimore, MD
Cost: No cost. The in-person program provides an hourly stipend and covers transportation, but not housing. The virtual program offers a $500 scholarship to interns to support their education.
Application deadline: March 1, 2025
Program dates: The in-person program lasts 8 weeks, while the virtual program runs for 5 weeks from June–August. Specific dates are unspecified.
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (in the US for the virtual program and in Baltimore City, MD for the in-person program) from underrepresented backgrounds can apply.
The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) offers high school students a summer research opportunity through the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery. You can choose between an 8-week in-person internship or a 5-week virtual program. The in-person option provides hands-on research, mentorship, career guidance, and seminars in neurological science, with a final presentation at the end.
Both programs include professional development workshops, college prep sessions, and networking opportunities. The virtual program focuses more on foundational lab techniques. You can also access past JHIBS research topics to get a sense of the program’s scope here!
2. Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) High School Summer Research Internship
Subject areas: Neuroscience, scientific programming, mechanical engineering
Location: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL
Cost/Stipend: No cost. $14 stipend per hour.
Application Deadline: March 4, 2025, for the 2025 cohort.
Program Dates: June 17–July 26, 2024 (6 weeks). TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old, live in Palm Beach or Martin County, and have U.S. work authorization can apply.
The MPFI Summer Research Internship allows high school students to gain hands-on experience in neuroscience. If selected, you’ll work alongside neuroscientists at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, exploring areas such as brain structure, neural circuits, and advanced imaging techniques.
The program focuses on wet lab work, where you’ll develop skills in genetic engineering, histological staining, microbiology, and microscopy. You will address research questions and present your findings in a scientific abstract to peers, researchers, and the community by the end of the program.
3. Explorations in Neuroscience Research Internship Program at Ohio State University
Subject areas: Neuroscience
Location: Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost: No cost. Stipend provided (amount not specified)
Application deadline: March 7, 2025
Program dates: June 23 — August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors in high school can apply.
The Explorations in Neuroscience Research Internship Program at Ohio State University offers a paid research experience for high school students interested in neuroscience. Funded by the NIH, this program places you in an active lab, where you’ll gain hands-on experience in neurological injury and neurodegeneration. You will work directly with a research mentor, graduate students, and lab technicians and participate in neuroscience research.
The program also includes access to lab meetings, social events, and a neuroscience journal club, where you’ll learn to read and discuss scientific literature. Additionally, you’ll have the chance to explore neuroscience as a potential undergraduate major and career path. The program concludes with a presentation of your research.
4. Duke University Neuroscience Experience (DUNE)
Subject areas: Neuroscience
Location: Duke University West Campus, Durham, NC
Cost: No cost. This is a paid internship, but the stipend amount is not specified.
Application deadline: February 9, 2025
Program dates: June 16 — August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Must be at least 15 years old by June 16, 2025, a current high school sophomore or junior (from 2024–2025), or a senior not planning to attend college in fall 2025, and attend a public or charter high school in Durham, NC.
Duke University’s Neuroscience Experience program offers high school students an eight-week paid internship focused on neuroscience research. In this full-time summer program, you’ll work in a Duke neuroscience lab under the mentorship of a professional scientist, gaining hands-on research experience.
In addition to lab work, the program includes workshops on college preparation and career paths in academia, medicine, and industry, providing insights into future opportunities in neuroscience. It concludes with a poster session, where you’ll present your research to peers, family, and Duke researchers.
5. Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)
Subject areas: Neurology and neuroscience
Location: In-person at Columbia University, New York
Cost: No cost. Stipend provided (amount not specified).
Application deadline: Applications for BRAINYAC 2025 have closed. Applications for the 2026 program are expected to open in October 2025.
Program dates: 6 weeks between July and August.
Eligibility: High school students nominated by partner programs from select schools in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx can apply. Check details here.
The BRAINYAC program at Columbia University offers a lab-focused research internship for high school students interested in neuroscience. The program begins with a training phase where you’ll learn key neuroscience concepts and lab techniques, including microscope use, pipetting, dissection, neuroethics, coding for experiments, and data analysis.
Once you’ve gained these foundational skills, you’ll work on a research project under the guidance of a Columbia mentor, while connecting with the wider neuroscience community, including graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and BRAINYAC alumni. The program concludes with a symposium at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, where you’ll present your research and a STEM event at the American Museum of Natural History.
6. Massachusetts General Hospital’s Youth Neurology Education and Research Program
Subject areas: Neurology, neuroscience
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Cost: No cost. Stipend provided (amount not specified).
Application deadline: January 31, 2025
Program dates: June 30 — August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Massachusetts high school juniors (or rising seniors) or recent high school graduates can apply.
The Youth Neurology Education and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital allows high school students to explore neuroscience and neurology. The program connects you with neurologists and neuroscientists, offering a combination of hands-on research experience, mentorship, and professional networking. You’ll start with an intensive boot camp to familiarize yourself with the expectations of lab research and clinical work.
Throughout the program, you’ll be paired with a faculty mentor and an undergraduate student, working on ongoing research projects in a collaborative lab environment. Experts-led weekly sessions will expand your knowledge of neurology, while social events and tours provide a broader experience. At the end of the program, you’ll present your research to an audience of faculty, peers, and family.
7. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Subject areas: Biological sciences including neuroscience
Location: Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: No program fee, but a $40 application fee (waived for financial need). Housing and meals are not included. Participants receive at least a $500 stipend, with additional need-based stipends available.
Application deadline: February 22, 2025
Program dates: June 9 — July 31, 2025 (8 weeks)
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents can apply.
SIMR offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in biomedical research through an 8-week summer internship at Stanford University’s Institutes of Medicine. You’ll work in a research lab, closely collaborating with a mentor on active research projects.
If neuroscience is your area of interest, you can choose it as a preferred focus, and you’ll be matched with a lab that aligns with this. The program also provides a bioengineering boot camp option for those interested in exploring bioengineering alongside neuroscience.
8. UCLA Brain Research Institute NeuroCamp
Subject areas: Neuroscience
Location: UCLA Brain Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
Cost: Fully funded
Application deadline: Applications for Neurocamp 2025 will open in February. Applications typically close in May.
Program dates: This program typically runs from June — August.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply, with preference given to Los Angeles residents.
NeuroCamp, offered by the UCLA Brain Research Institute, is a free summer program that invites 15–20 high school students each year to explore neuroscience. During the program, you’ll learn foundational concepts such as molecular neurobiology, neurophysiology, and neuroanatomy, while also gaining experience with basic lab techniques.
The program is designed to inspire students from the Los Angeles area, focusing on sparking an interest in college and science careers through hands-on research and interactive learning.
9. Horizon’s Academic Research Program (HARP) — Neuroscience/Biotech Track
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary — neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases, and more.
Location: Virtual
Application deadline: The Spring Cohort deadline is February 16, 2025
Program dates:
- Summer seminar — June 24, 2025 — September 2, 2025
- Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Horizon Academic offers a trimester-long research program for high school students interested in fields like neuroscience, computational neuroscience, and neurodegenerative diseases. In the computational neuroscience track, you’ll study the nervous system and progress to more advanced topics such as neuron neurophysiology, electrophysiological techniques, and neuron network simulations.
Throughout the program, you’ll be paired with a professor or PhD researcher from a university who will mentor you in developing a 20-page research paper. You may also have the opportunity to submit your paper to academic journals for publication. The program combines both quantitative and qualitative research, allowing for a thorough exploration of complex topics. You’ll also receive a letter of recommendation and detailed feedback on your project. Apply here!
10. Lumiere Research Scholar Program — Neuroscience Track
Subject areas: Arts, sociology, STEM fields, including neuroscience, computer science, aerospace engineering, environmental science, and many more.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,990 (12 weeks) | $5,900 (16–20 weeks). Financial aid is available.
Application deadline: The Winter Cohort II application deadline is December 29, 2024! Fall, spring, and summer cohorts are available annually.
Program dates: 12 weeks for the research scholar program. 16–20 weeks for the Premium Research & Publication Program. The upcoming winter cohort will begin on Dec 16, 2024, and carry on for 12–20 weeks depending on the type of program you select.
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.3 GPA can apply.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program, founded by alumni from Harvard and Oxford, offers high school students the opportunity to work on an independent research project with guidance from a PhD mentor. This fully online program allows you to develop a college-level research paper and present your work at a final symposium.
If you’re interested in pursuing further research, there’s also a track dedicated to research and publication. If neuroscience is your area of focus, you can specify it in your application to tailor your experience in this field.
Image source – Johns Hopkins University logo
