Description

Harnessing plants and microbes for sustainable solutions is essential to meet challenges presented by expanding populations, increased urbanization, and climate change; however, this effort requires a new breed of STEM student and professional. Located at Washington University in St. Louis, this REU program will provide foundational training for undergraduates interested in translating basic science discoveries to real-world applications and for fostering the next generation of broadly prepared STEM professionals. Students in the 10-week program will join research groups in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry for projects that explore plant and microbial bioscience from foundational discovery to real-world applications. Research approaches range from the molecular/cellular to genomes/organismal to systems/environment. At the core of the program is a focus on understanding biological organization, rules, and interactions across scales in a variety of plant and microbes and how those insights can drive innovation in agriculture, biomedicine, and sustainability science. 

Application deadline: Feb 14, 2026

Program dates: May 26--August 1, 2026

https://biology.wustl.edu/national-science-foundation-research-experiences-undergraduate-students-nsf-reu