For high school students interested in advanced genetics, molecular biology, and biomedical innovation, online biotechnology research programs offer an accessible way to explore these fields. Many of these programs pair you with professional researchers or graduate mentors, offering hands-on experience and the opportunity to build a strong skillset in STEM research.
As a young researcher with the programs below, you can build biotech-specific skills like DNA analysis, protein modeling, and data interpretation while learning research methods used in academic and industry labs. The biotech research programs are flexible and virtual but rigorous, often culminating in a final presentation or publication that showcases your contributions and makes for a good addition to your portfolio.
To help you find the right fit, here are 13 online biotech research opportunities for high school students!
1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Cost: Starts at $2,990 (financial aid is available)
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June – August), Fall (September – December), Winter (December – February), and Spring (March – June)
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school | Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4) | No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler.
The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as biotechnology, psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
2. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Cost: $5,950 (financial aid is available)
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts.
Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
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 offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research.
Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
3. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee
Application Deadline: February 28
Dates: June 16 – 27
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9–12 in Fall, ages 14+ by the program start date
This two-week virtual internship from Stanford’s AIMI Center centers on the role of machine learning in medical research and clinical applications. Through a mix of lectures, technical workshops, and collaborative group work, you’ll study how AI tools are used to interpret medical data, support diagnosis, and design better healthcare systems.
The curriculum includes talks by researchers and industry professionals, as well as sessions on data privacy, algorithmic bias, and healthcare equity. You’ll apply statistical and coding skills in a group project that simulates a real-world medical AI challenge. Prior experience with programming and math is strongly recommended, as much of the program builds on these skills.
4. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes – Biomedical Engineering
Cost: $3,080; additional course materials may be required
Application Deadline: March 20
Dates:
- Session One: June 16 – June 27
- Session Two: July 7 – July 18
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–11 who have completed a high school biology course
This virtual summer institute offers advanced academic enrichment through subject-specific courses taught by Stanford instructors. One standout course, Biomedical Engineering, examines the principles behind designing medical devices, from early-stage innovation to product development. Throughout the course, you’ll engage with real-world challenges, including the design of prosthetics, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic devices.
Expect case studies led by physicians and MedTech professionals, and a hands-on capstone project where you’ll pitch your solution to a real clinical problem. The course emphasizes innovation in the biotech space and provides exposure to both the research and commercialization pathways in medicine.
5. Biotech Research Remote Program – Boston Leadership Institute
Cost: $1,200
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Dates: June 30 – July 11
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12
In this live, online program, you’ll engage directly in biotech research through guided experiments and project-based learning. All students receive lab kits at home, allowing for hands-on participation in activities such as bacterial transformation, simulated diagnostic testing, and DNA manipulation.
Course topics include micropipette use, biotechnology in pharmaceutical R&D, and how major firms navigate drug development. You’ll also pursue an independent research project on a genetic disorder of your choice, culminating in a presentation to your cohort at the program’s conclusion.
6. Computational Biology (CB) Virtual Camps by miRcore
Cost: $680 + $70 application fee
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Dates:
- Session 1: June 16 – June 20
- Session 2: June 23 – June 27
- Session 3: July 7 – July 11
- Session 4: July 28 – August 1
Eligibility: Current high school students and incoming 9th-graders
The Computational Biology camp by miRcore is designed for students interested in math, science, medicine, and computational biology. This program delves into how the genome and transcriptome influence diseases and symptoms, offering students an opportunity to conduct hands-on research in computational biology.
Students work with RNA expression data from patients to uncover biomarkers related to various diseases. On the first day, you will select a disease to explore and develop innovative diagnostics or treatment methods using advanced research tools.
7. University of Washington Young Scholars Program – REACH
Cost: $500 (in-person); $100 (virtual)
Application Deadline: March 15
Dates: July 14 – July 18
Eligibility: High school students (including graduating seniors)
YSP-REACH is a one-week summer experience offered by UW’s Center for Neurotechnology. You will delve into neural engineering and neuroscience via lectures, labs, and group discussions, emphasizing the intersection of biology and technology to create brain-computer interfaces and neural devices.
Students explore neuroethics, bio-signal processing, and science communication, and have the opportunity to visit laboratories engaged in innovative neuroscience and engineering projects. The program is a strong fit if you’re interested in brain-related biotech and early exposure to interdisciplinary research.
8. Summer@Brown Online – Biotechnology Courses
Cost: $3,218 – $6,238 (depending on program duration)
Application Deadline: May 9
Dates: Multiple sessions from June 16 – July 25
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18 by June 15
Brown University’s Summer@Brown online program offers over 50 rigorous and intellectually stimulating courses designed for high school students. You can choose from flexible study formats — asynchronous, mostly asynchronous, or blended — suited to various learning preferences and schedules.
The program encourages independent research, delves into college-level coursework, and builds critical thinking skills. Courses in Biotechnology include Antibiotic Drug Discovery, Cancer Biology, and Genetics Beyond Mendel. Upon successful completion, students will receive a Digital Certificate, validating their academic achievement. The program allows you to immerse yourself in advanced topics like molecular mechanisms of cancer and antibiotic resistance while honing lab and research skills.
9. Biotechnology Sequencing (BTS) Camp at miRcore
Cost: $780 + $70 application fee
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Dates: July 14 – July 18
Eligibility: Current high school students who have completed a high school biology course
The Biotechnology Sequencing Camp at miRcore introduces students to analyzing next-generation sequencing (NGS) data using the Linux OS and command-line tools. This hands-on program enhances your understanding of sequencing research, a highly sought-after skill in biomedical labs.
Throughout the camp, you will learn Unix commands, analyze sequencing data to identify viruses like COVID-19, and explore NGS technology’s role in biotechnology. The program also covers thermodynamics, nucleotide hybridization, and medical genomics. By using the University of Michigan’s high-performance Slurm cluster, you will gain firsthand experience with computational genomics and its applications in biomedicine.
10. R Programming & Machine Learning Camp at miRcore
Cost: $680 + $70 application fee
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Dates: August 4 – August 8
Eligibility: Current high school and exceptional 8th-grade students
The R Programming & Machine Learning Camp at miRcore introduces students to R programming and its applications in biomedical research. You will analyze microRNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify cancer biomarkers and categorize cancer samples, blending statistical methods with real-world disease research.
This camp starts with building R programming skills from scratch, making it accessible even for those with no prior coding experience. You will work with TCGA’s big data, explore machine learning tools in R, and create scientific graphics for research presentations or science fairs.
11. Stanford SHTEM Summer Internship
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Typically in March
Dates: June 17 – August 9
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors, aged at least 14
The SHTEM Internship at Stanford’s Compression Forum is an interdisciplinary program where students collaborate on a wide range of research projects, guided by faculty, staff, and students from Stanford. You will explore projects spanning engineering, biology, neuroscience, computer science, and more.
One notable project from past years focused on creating machine learning models for drug discovery, targeting cancer therapies. The SHTEM internship offers invaluable research experience, perfect for students looking to dive into interdisciplinary STEM careers.
12. AIMI Summer Health AI Bootcamp at Stanford
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee
Application Deadline: February 28
Dates: June 16 – June 27
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 9-12 in Fall, aged over 14 by the start of the program
The AIMI Summer Health AI Bootcamp at Stanford is a two-week virtual program designed to introduce high school students to the intersection of machine learning and healthcare. The bootcamp covers foundational principles of ML, healthcare applications, and the evaluation of ML models in medical contexts.
Students will engage with live lectures, collaborative discussions, and coding workshops to analyze healthcare datasets and explore the potential of AI to transform patient care and medical research. The bootcamp also includes career-oriented sessions, featuring guest speakers from academia, industry, and government, giving you insights into healthcare innovations powered by AI.
13. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine – Virtual Academy
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 15
Dates: July 14 – 18
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18
This one-week virtual academy introduces students aged 14 to 18 to the core concepts and technologies in regenerative medicine, emphasizing current research and career pathways in the field. Through live Zoom sessions led by WFIRM faculty, industry experts, and peer mentors, you’ll explore tissue engineering, cellular therapies, and organ bioprinting.
The program includes interactive discussions and mentorship, offering a broad look at the scientific and clinical frontiers of regenerative medicine. Students can also participate in an optional in-person workshop and tour at Wake Forest, featuring hands-on demos and lab visits. High school students aged 16–18 can apply for an additional four-week research placement under WFIRM faculty guidance.
Image source – Wake Forest Institute