Undergraduate research

We especially encourage younger students to apply. We are also committed to gender and racial diversity in the group and specifically encourage applications from underrepresented minorities. We encourage students from both Harvard and other U.S. institutions to apply. We also host international students who secure their own funding.

Absolutely! Most of the undergrads who start doing research in the group have no previous research experience. Almost none have experience in atmospheric science. We are a computational group, so interest in developing your programming skills is essential. You will learn programming and other skills on the job. Learning is the main point of undergraduate research!

You should email Daniel Jacob or Loretta Mickley. In your email, please express your interest in specific research projects, give your plans for obtaining funding (see below), and attach your CV. We recommend that you look through the group’s research page on this website for standing projects, or reach out to a graduate student or postdoc involved in a project you find interesting on the group research page.

Our group’s research page lists the projects graduate students and postdocs are currently working on. You can also visit personal websites of individual group members to learn more about their research areas. See the “symposium projects” or “alumni” section of this webpage for examples of previous projects.

For research during the semester, Harvard students primarily secure funding through the Harvard College Research Program (HCRP, up to $1000 for term-time research). Most students who apply for HCRP get funded. However, students need to apply for HCRP in the first two weeks of the semester, so they should reach out early or over break to express interest and begin working on the application.

For research during the summer, there are more options. Keep an eye on deadlines! Many of these deadlines are only a couple weeks after spring semester starts, so please notify Daniel or Loretta ASAP if you think you are interested. Options include:

• Program for Research in Science and Engineering (PRISE). If accepted, you will receive room and partial board in a Harvard House, along with a stipend. The PRISE staff also organize fun activities like hiking, whale watching, music outings, and sporting events, all on Harvard’s dime. Your chances of being accepted at PRISE increase if you have already done research with us for a semester, so consider doing research in the spring term before applying for PRISE (though this is not strictly necessary). Due: Early February
• The Harvard College Research Program (HCRP) gives $500-$4000 in funding for the summer, but does not provide room and board. Due: Late March/Early April
• The Herschel-Smith program is more generous than HCRP, but is more competitive and tends to only go to older students. Due: Early February
• The Harvard Center for the Environment (HUCE)'s summer undergraduate research fund gives students a standard stipend of $1000 per month, and students can apply for a fellowship duration between 1-3 months (in 1/2 month increments). Due: Late April

Under construction. We are working to secure spots in Harvard REU programs for external students to work with us.

We typically host 2-5 students each summer.

Summer internships with REU and Leadership Alliance are 10 weeks. Internships funded by other sources can be a different length, but 10 weeks is a good amount of time to invest in a project.

You will work most closely with a graduate student or postdoc and meet with them a few times a week. They will guide you through your research project and help you with technical issues (i.e. coding). You will also have the opportunity to meet with Daniel or Loretta once every week. For meetings, you will generally be asked to present a few slides and discuss your results and next steps with your mentor(s). For summer research, you will be asked to write an abstract and present a short talk in our ACMG research symposium, attended by members of this group. When your project is mature, you will have the opportunity to write and submit an abstract for a scientific conference or even a first-author scientific paper. This is typically for undergraduates who work in the group for more than one summer.

You will work in Pierce Hall on the main Harvard campus, where our group’s offices are. Depending on the circumstances, you may also work remotely and meet with your mentors through Skype or Zoom. Students typically bring their own laptop, but if you don’t have one we can provide you with a loaner. For intensive computational projects, you will have access to Harvard’s supercomputing cluster, Cannon. We will provide you a desk to work at in Pierce Hall during the summer. REU programs will provide you housing on campus. Other programs will enable you to find lodging near campus through their stipends.