REU Site: Princeton Neuroscience Institute SYNAPSE Internship Program

This REU Site award to Princeton University, located in Princeton, NJ, will support the training of 10 students annually for 9 weeks during the summers of 2026 – 2028 as part of the SYNAPSE program (Supporting Young Neuroscientists through Applied Programming, Science communication, and Exploration). The goal of SYNAPSE is to attract promising scholars to the field of neuroscience and to support their professional development, thereby strengthening the community of future neuroscientsts. Students interested in pursuing gradute programs in neuroscience and other STEM careers with minimal or no prior research experience will be selected primarily from 2- and 4-year colleges and universities with limited research opportunities. Preference will be given to rising second and third years. Students will learn how research is conducted by carrying out research projects with faculty and trainees at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI). They will present the results of their work at an end of summer at an internal research conference, as well as at the 3-day Leadership Alliance National Symposium. Assessment of SYNAPSE will be done through pre- and post-program survey, and students will be tracked after the program concludes in order to understand their career paths. Students should apply to the REU site the NSF ETAP portal (https://etap.nsf.gov). The training students will receive is aligned with the NSF priorities in AI and Biotechnology. Research at PNI spans the breadth of the neuroscience field, from molecular to human cognition to theoretical neuroscience. Summer interns are matched with one lab for the duration of the program for their independent research project. Alongside research, interns participate in a weekly professional development and science communication workshop series aimed at helping them successfully compete for entry into graduate programs and STEM careers, and take neuroscience-focused computer programming courses in Python and R that offer an introduction to AI approaches. Additional optional activities include attendance at weekly research lectures given by PNI faculty, an NSF GRFP writing workshop, and social activities designed to build community. SYNAPSE students will also have an opportunity to meet with former interns who have gone on to graduate programs and other research positions. To apply to the program, students are required to submit a brief personal statement, undergraduate transcripts, and two letters of recommendation to be reviewed by the program director and faculty mentors. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2547564 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Jesse Gomez | Institution: Princeton University, PRINCETON, NJ | Award Amount: $417,420 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2547564 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2547564.html