Jeff Metcalf Summer for Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) at the Marine Biological Laboratory

Opportunity Description:


The Jeff Metcalf SURF Program is an opportunity exposing University of Chicago students to the world-class science conducted at the MBL.

The Marine Biological laboratory (MBL), founded in 1888 on Cape Cod in the village of Woods Hole Massachusetts, is a private nonprofit research institution and affiliate of the University of Chicago. An international center for innovation in scientific research and education, the MBL has drawn the world’s greatest minds in science to carry out some of their most creative and far-reaching work.

The Jeff Metcalf Undergraduate Fellowship targets first through third year undergraduate students. It is designed to help students explore science beyond their core courses and immerse in comprehensive discovery research over a 10-week summer experience. Augmenting student learning are career enrichment opportunities such as weekly lunch seminars with MBL faculty, evening science lectures, professional development opportunities, social and cultural engagements and a chance to go on an excursion aboard the research collection vessel Gemma. These experiences are tailored to foster student-faculty relationships, help to develop academic and professional credentials and aid students in refining their career goals.

Please click here to review the list of 2022 program mentors and their research/project statements.

Room and board is paid for through the partnership between Career Advancement’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program and the University of Chicago Biological Science Collegiate Division. Students are required to live in the provided summer undergraduate housing located on the MBL campus and accommodations are organized as double and triple rooms. In addition to room and board, students will receive a stipend. Some SURF cohort activities will also be organized and provided during your stay. MBL Fellows are required to complete a post-internship survey to provide feedback regarding their experience in Woods Hole.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Open to UChicago students only
  • Targeted for first-third years; graduating seniors are not eligible to apply

Application Process: 

Submit the online application here.

Applications are reviewed and ranked by a committee and students are notified of their acceptance via email by early March. Students must commit to the entire program.

Application deadline: February 15, 2022

Application Deadline: 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022
For more information on this opportunity, please contact: