Resources and Opportunities

The Biochemistry Program encourages students to pursue various research fellowships, grants and awards to enhance their learning and research experience at Bowdoin.

Internal Grants and Fellowships

Biochemistry students engage in a variety of independent research projects that are mentored by biochemistry faculty. Students interested in pursuing research projects with biochemistry faculty should start by reading biochemistry faculty websites and meeting with faculty members whose research programs appeal to them.

Once you have found a complimentary fit, work with your faculty member to identify appropriate internal funding opportunities through the biology and chemistry departments (departmental grants) and college-wide awards (institutional grants). Through these funding mechanisms and faculty grants, the Biochemistry Program offers a multitude of summer research fellowships for students interested in conducting research as part of our vibrant summer program.

Biology Department Fellowships

Funds donated to the College will support 8, 9 or 10 week fellowships for students wishing to conduct independent research in the life sciences during the summer. In addition to students working with faculty in the biological sciences (Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience), students working on biological problem in the physical sciences and mathematics are eligible for these fellowships. Students will receive a stipend and subsidized college housing, as well as funds to cover research supplies. On campus housing is on a first come first served basis.

Fellowships are available to support summer research at the College's biological research station on Kent Island, in Canada's Bay of Fundy. BSS Fellowships support field studies in a variety of disciplines (e.g., biology/ecology, geology, oceanography, and chemistry). The BSS Summer Fellowship Program lasts for 8 weeks. A stipend, plus transportation, meals, and lodging at Kent Island are provided. Students interested in applying for a fellowship should contact the Director of the Bowdoin College Scientific Station on Kent Island, Professor Patricia Jones (pjones3@bowdoin.edu). See more information about Kent Island.

An INBRE (IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence) grant from the NIH will support 8, 9 or 10 week fellowships for students wishing to conduct independent summer research addressing biomedical questions, including questions relating to comparative functional genomics. Students will receive a weekly stipend and subsidized college housing, as well as funds to cover research supplies. On campus housing is on a first come first served basis.

An INBRE (IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence) grant from the NIH will support 8, 9 or 10 week fellowships for students wishing to conduct independent summer research addressing biomedical questions, particularly questions relating to comparative functional genomics, at any of the INBRE institutions in the state of Maine. Students will receive a weekly stipend and housing, a food stipend or on-campus dining (at some institutions), as well as funds to cover research supplies. On campus housing at Bowdoin is on a first come first served basis. For more information, please visit the INBRE fellowships website.

Bowdoin will offer a summer fellowship (stipend plus housing on campus) for a graduating senior to continue working on his or her ongoing research project, with a goal of making progress towards publication, for 8-10 weeks during the summer after graduation. Because this fellowship is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Maine INBRE (IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence) program, projects submitted for the fellowship should have some biomedical relevance, with a preference for projects in the general field of comparative functional genomics (broadly defined). On-campus housing will be on a first-come first-serve basis.

Biology Fellowships

Chemistry Department Fellowships

The James Stacy Coles, Littlefield, and Dana Walker Mayo Summer Research Fellowships are funded departmental fellowships that provide students with an exceptional opportunity for hands-on research. Student recipients of the fellowships will work closely with a Bowdoin faculty member on a mutually acceptable research project, full time, for eight to ten weeks in the summer. The fellows will receive a $560/week stipend; housing is subsidized for summer research students.

Chemistry Fellowships

Institutional Fellowships

Established in 2003 through an endowed fund from Frank Wilson Kibbe '37 and his wife, Lucy Kimberly Kibbe, to support faculty and research scientific research, Kibbe Fellowships are intended to support substantial participation in a scientific research project by a student under the direction of a faculty member who is independently interested in the area under study. Research projects should give the student firsthand experience with productive scholarly scientific research.

Students typically conduct eight, nine, or ten weeks of research. Selected fellows are expected to commit full-time effort to their research project, and faculty mentors must approve the duration of the fellowship period.

For more infomation, visit the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.

Established in 2016 with a gift from Donald W. Kufe '66 and his wife, Hillary R. Mankin-Kufe, this fund supports undergraduate research in the natural sciences, with preference for those who major in biology or chemistry. First-years, sophomores, and juniors may apply. Current seniors are ineligible.

Students opt to carry out eight, nine, or ten weeks of research. Students should discuss with their faculty mentors what would be the appropriate duration of their fellowship and consider their own research goals and availability as well as their faculty mentors’ availability when making this decision. Selected fellows are expected to commit full-time effort to their research project, and faculty mentors must approve the duration of the fellowship period.

For more information, visit the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.

The Maine Space Grant Consortium Scholarship and Fellowship Program at Bowdoin College provides summer and academic-year research opportunities for Bowdoin students in aerospace-related research, including astronomical, biological, physical, social, earth science, human exploration and development of space, space science, and other science technology-, computer-, or engineering-related fields.

For more information, visit the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.

An undergraduate research fellowship program originally established in 1959, this fund was renamed in 1968 the Surdna Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program in recognition of gifts from the Surdna Foundation. Each Surdna fellow participates in summer research or advanced study directly related to his or her major field or life work.

For more information, visit the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.

External Summer Research Opportunities

Fred Hutch Summer Undergraduate Research Program
ACS Nuclear and Radiochemistry Undergraduate Summer Schools
Snyder Scholars at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaigne
Centers for Chemical Innovation Summer Research Programs
Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
University of Minnesota Lando NSF/REU Program
Worcester Polytechnic Institute REU Program

Resources and Opportunities

Internal Grants and Fellowships

Bowdoin College Fellowships in the Life Sciences

Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island Fellowships

INBRE Summer Fellowships

INBRE State-Wide Summer Fellowships

INBRE Post-Baccalaureate Summer Fellowships

James Stacy Coles, Littlefield, and Dana Walker Mayo Fellowships

Kibbe Science Fellowship

Kufe Family Research Fellowship

Maine Space Grant Consortium

Surdna Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

External Summer Research Opportunities