15 Lab Opportunities in Boston for High School Students

Key Takeaways

• These 15 lab opportunities span major Boston research institutions like MIT, the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber, and Massachusetts General Hospital, covering fields from cancer biology and immunology to mechanical engineering and biotech, alongside Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs, which offers a virtual research track for students who want a fully remote alternative to an in-person lab placement.
• Nearly all of these programs place you one-on-one with a research mentor or scientist on an active project, and most conclude with a poster session, research symposium, or formal presentation where you share your findings.
• Many programs, including the Broad Summer Scholars Program, RISE at the Ragon Institute, and the ADA Forsyth Student Scholars Internship, are free to attend and also provide a stipend, while a few, like the Tufts Summer Research Experience, charge substantial tuition.
• Several programs restrict eligibility to Massachusetts residents or specific Gateway cities, such as RISE and the LEAH Project, so location matters more here than in a typical national program list.
• Program length varies considerably too, from six-week summer placements to multi-year commitments like DF/HCC YES for CURE and the LEAH Project, so it’s worth factoring in how much sustained time you want to commit alongside program fit.

15 Lab Opportunities in Boston for High School Students

If you want real lab experience without waiting until college, a lab opportunity in Boston is worth serious consideration! 

Unlike a regular science class, these programs put you next to real researchers working through actual problems, with access to equipment and resources most high schoolers never get close to. You’ll assist with real experiments, learn techniques scientists actually use, work through data, and often sit in on lab meetings where real research decisions get made. 

Why should you choose a program in Boston for high school students?

Boston has one of the highest concentrations of universities, research hospitals, and biotech companies of any city in the country, which gives high schoolers here a level of access that’s genuinely hard to find elsewhere. Depending on the program, you might work in a university lab, assist with an ongoing research project, analyze real data, or attend talks led by researchers actively working in fields like biology, chemistry, or biomedical engineering.

This kind of experience also does real work for your college applications. Admissions officers notice students who’ve spent actual time in a lab, since that says a lot more than a strong grade in AP Biology ever could. Along the way, you build skills like careful observation, data analysis, and scientific reasoning, the same skills that matter in any research-heavy field you might pursue later.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of 15 lab opportunities in Boston for high school students! If you are looking for free summer opportunities in Boston, check out this blog. 

1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in subjects 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 you can use to improve future projects. Apply here!

2. MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)

The Research Science Institute (RSI) is one of the most selective STEM programs for high school students, giving you six weeks to experience research the way professional scientists do. The first week is spent in intensive classes taught by visiting professors before you’re matched with a research lab at MIT for the rest of the program. Working with a graduate student mentor, you’ll read scientific papers, develop a research question, design your own approach, and carry the project through to completion. Depending on your placement, your research could be in mathematics, computer science, engineering, biology, neuroscience, or another STEM field. Evenings are filled with talks from leading researchers and Nobel Prize winners who discuss their own discoveries and careers. The program ends with a research symposium where you’ll present your paper and explain your work.

3. Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP)

The Broad Summer Scholars Program places you inside one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutes for six weeks of full-time research. You’ll join a Broad Institute lab working on areas like cancer biology, genetics, or computational genomics, helping researchers investigate real scientific questions. Depending on your lab, your work may involve laboratory experiments, coding, data analysis, or a combination of both. Every student is paired not only with a research mentor but also with a tutor who helps explain new scientific concepts and techniques throughout the summer. Outside the lab, you’ll attend research talks, a college fair, and activities with the rest of the cohort. The experience finishes with a scientific poster presentation where you’ll share your project with Broad researchers and other scholars.

4. Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center CURE Program

If you’re interested in cancer research, the CURE Program gives you the chance to spend an entire summer working alongside scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute or one of its Harvard-affiliated laboratories. You’ll be paired one-on-one with a research mentor and contribute to an ongoing project while learning laboratory techniques and research methods used in cancer biology. Alongside your lab work, you’ll attend journal clubs, scientific seminars, and workshops that introduce topics like research ethics and responsible scientific conduct. The program concludes with a research presentation where you’ll share your work with mentors, scientists, and fellow participants.

5. DF/HCC YES for CURE

The YES for CURE program is designed for students who want a much longer research experience than a typical summer internship. Over two and a half years, you’ll complete two summers of mentored cancer research while staying connected to the program throughout the school year. Between the research experiences, you’ll attend twice-monthly seminars at Dana-Farber covering scientific literature, research skills, and professional development. One unique part of the program is that participants also teach science lessons to Boston Public Schools middle school students, helping younger students explore STEM through hands-on activities. By your second year, you’ll even help lead journal club discussions for the next group of participants.

6. Ragon Institute Summer Experience (RISE)

The Ragon Institute Summer Experience (RISE) introduces you to biomedical research through a full-time internship in one of the institute’s immunology and infectious disease laboratories. Your summer begins with a week-long boot camp covering laboratory safety, research methods, and how a major research institute operates before you join your assigned lab. As you work alongside scientists on ongoing research projects, you’ll also attend an immunology course taught by graduate students, journal club discussions, and workshops where interns share their research progress. The program includes visits to partner research institutions as well as sessions on college preparation and resume writing. At the end of the summer, you’ll present your work to researchers, mentors, and the wider Ragon Institute community.

7. Mass General Youth Neurology Education and Research Program (YNERP)

The Youth Neurology Education and Research Program (YNERP) gives you the chance to spend six weeks inside a neurology research lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. After a short boot camp covering lab safety and research practices, you’ll join an MGH faculty lab and contribute to an ongoing neuroscience project alongside researchers. Every week, neurologists and neuroscientists visit the program to talk about their work, how they built their careers, and the questions they’re currently trying to answer. As your research progresses, you’ll learn how to communicate your findings and explain the science behind your project. The program finishes with a presentation to the Neurology Department, where you’ll share the work you’ve completed over the summer.

8. ADA Forsyth Student Scholars Summer Internship

The ADA Forsyth Student Scholars Summer Internship is designed for students who want their first real experience in a biomedical research lab. You’ll be paired with a Forsyth scientist and learn laboratory techniques from the ground up while contributing to research in areas such as oral microbiology, immunology, and related life sciences. Every week, you’ll present updates on your project to mentors and fellow interns, helping you become more confident in discussing scientific work. You’ll also attend lectures from Forsyth researchers who introduce current topics in biomedical science and explain how their own research is carried out. The summer ends with a scientific poster presentation where you’ll present your research to the wider scientific community.

9. LEAH Project (LEAH Daly and LEAH Knox internships)

The LEAH Project is unusual because it continues beyond a single summer. In your first year, you’ll either spend five weeks in Biogen’s Community Lab learning wet lab techniques through the Daly track or join an MIT biology lab through the Knox track, where you’ll focus on biomedical research and data science. Alongside your research, you’ll receive guidance from mentors who help you build scientific skills and prepare for future opportunities. A second summer places you in a new research setting, which could be at a university, biotech company, or another scientific organization. The program also supports students through the college application process, making it a much longer-term experience than most summer internships.

10. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center High School Apprenticeship Challenge

This one isn’t a single lab you apply to; it’s a funding mechanism that subsidizes your wages so a life science company or research institution can actually hire you. MLSC creates more than 150 of these placements across the state every year. Some districts get pre-internship lab training first, covering basic biotechnology skills before the work starts. Where you end up and what you actually do depends on which host organization takes you on. While this is a markedly different opportunity from other programs on this list that straight up place you in a laboratory setting, it also has more options and can potentially be much more valuable to students who are already clear about what they want to pursue.

11. Northeastern University Young Scholars Program (YSP)

The Northeastern University Young Scholars Program (YSP) places you inside an active research lab for six weeks, where you’ll work alongside faculty and researchers on real engineering, science, or health science projects. Research topics change each year and have included everything from battery technology and biotechnology to computer modeling and advanced materials. Alongside your lab work, you’ll attend weekly seminars led by faculty and graduate students covering current research across different STEM fields. The program also includes visits to organizations like Biogen and MIT laboratories, giving you a chance to see how scientific research happens outside a university campus.

12. Tufts Summer Research Experience (TSRE)

The Tufts Summer Research Experience (TSRE) lets you choose how you want to learn research before the program even begins. You’ll rank your preferred research methods, such as wet lab work, field research, or prototyping, and be placed into a small cohort led by a Teaching Fellow with experience in that area. Most mornings are spent working on hands-on research activities, while afternoons include guest lectures and visits to other research labs across Tufts. The program also takes students on trips to research institutions around the Boston area, giving you a chance to see how different labs approach scientific problems. The experience ends with a research poster presentation where your group shares what you’ve discovered over the six weeks.

13. Harvard Medical School Project Success

Running since 1993, Project Success places you in a Harvard Medical School or HMS-affiliated lab for a paid summer internship under the mentorship of a working scientist. In addition to the lab work, the cohort visits hospitals and biotech companies, and attends writing workshops, computer training, and academic seminars with researchers from across the HMS ecosystem. Group STEM learning sessions and career guidance are also run alongside the lab placement. The program draws on Harvard’s massive affiliated network and is able to offer options spanning immunology, bioengineering, and related fields.

14. MIT Women’s Technology Program, Mechanical Engineering track (WTP-ME)

WTP-ME is a four-week academic program at MIT for a cohort of 20 girls, built around introducing mechanical engineering to students who haven’t studied it before. You will spend the program duration in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering department working through hands-on labs, team-based engineering projects, and coursework taught by MIT graduate students. The curriculum covers fluid mechanics, statics, materials science, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and engineering design, combining analytical work, computer-aided design, and physical prototyping.

15. Vertex Pharmaceuticals High School Summer Internship

The Vertex Pharmaceuticals High School Summer Internship is a unique opportunity to experience both the cutting-edge science and business sides of a world-class biotechnology company. Your days are split into two core parts: first, you will work in Vertex’s state-of-the-art Seaport Learning Lab, performing hands-on experiments focused on genetic diseases, molecular biology, and global health. For the other half of the day, you will be paired with Vertex managers in departments like finance, human resources, or marketing, giving you a broad view of how a major biotech firm operates. Working with dedicated professional mentors, you will build your confidence at the laboratory bench, learn to analyze experimental data, and begin networking with industry leaders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of lab opportunities are available to high school students in Boston?
You’ll find a mix of formats, including cancer research placements like the Broad Summer Scholars Program and the Dana-Farber CURE Program, biotech industry internships like the Vertex Pharmaceuticals High School Summer Internship, and specialized neuroscience or immunology labs like MGH’s YNERP and the Ragon Institute’s RISE program. Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs offers a different kind of option, letting you conduct independent, mentored research remotely across subjects like data science and political theory rather than joining a fixed in-person lab.

Do you need prior lab experience to apply?
Most of these programs don’t require prior lab experience, since they’re designed to teach research skills from the ground up. That said, some, like Harvard Medical School’s Project Success, require you to have already completed coursework in algebra, biology, and chemistry, while others, like the ADA Forsyth Student Scholars Internship, are specifically designed for students getting their first exposure to a research lab.

Are there free options available?
Yes, most programs on this list don’t charge a fee. MIT’s RSI, the Broad Summer Scholars Program, the Dana-Farber CURE Program, RISE at the Ragon Institute, and Northeastern’s YSP are all free to participate in, and several of these also provide a stipend on top of being free.

Which programs offer stipends or paid positions?
A number of these programs compensate participants. The Broad Summer Scholars Program pays a $3,600 stipend upon completion, RISE at the Ragon Institute pays $17 an hour, and the LEAH Project offers up to $2,250 for the summer. The ADA Forsyth Student Scholars Internship and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Apprenticeship Challenge both pay minimum wage or an hourly rate as well.

Which programs are restricted to Massachusetts residents or specific cities?
Several of these programs have geographic requirements. RISE at the Ragon Institute is limited to students from Boston, Cambridge, and specific Massachusetts Gateway cities, and the LEAH Project and Vertex Pharmaceuticals internship are similarly limited to Massachusetts or Boston Public Schools students. Others, like MIT’s RSI and the Broad Summer Scholars Program, draw more broadly, though the Broad program still requires commuting distance to Cambridge.

Which programs involve a multi-year or long-term commitment rather than a single summer?
If you want a longer-term research relationship, DF/HCC YES for CURE spans two and a half years with mentored research each summer, and the LEAH Project places you in a second research setting the following year. Both go well beyond a single summer internship, offering continued mentorship and, in some cases, support through the college application process.

Is there a way to pursue independent research beyond a structured lab placement?
Yes. If you want a mentored research experience without needing to commute to a Boston-area lab, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs pairs you with a professor or PhD scholar to develop a 20-page research paper you can submit for academic publication, entirely online. The program also provides a letter of recommendation and detailed feedback, and covers over 600 research specializations. You can find the application here.

When should you apply?
Deadlines for these programs are spread throughout the year, so it helps to plan ahead. MIT’s Women’s Technology Program has one of the earliest deadlines at December 15, followed by DF/HCC YES for CURE (December 1) and MIT’s RSI (mid-December). January and February bring a wave of deadlines, including the Broad Summer Scholars Program (January 21), YNERP (January 31), and the Dana-Farber CURE Program (February 6). Horizon, by contrast, has multiple deadlines throughout the year across its Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts, giving you more flexibility if you miss an earlier cutoff.

Image source: Northeastern University