Summer Undergraduate Program for Educating Radiation Scientists at UPenn

Opportunity Description:


SUPERS@PENN is a ten week summer research program hosted by the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Pennsylvania. The program has been funded by the NIH/NCI since its inception in 2010.

The primary goal of the program is to provide talented and motivated undergraduates with an individualized science-based learning curriculum. The core component of the program is the a hypothesis-driven laboratory research experience. Students are paired with faculty mentors from the Departments of Radiation Oncology (Biology and Physics), Radiology (Imaging) or who are members of the Radiobiology and Imaging Program of the Abramson Cancer Center (Engineering, Chemistry, Pharmacology, etc.). This large pool of mentors allows us to place each student into a research laboratory based on their academic major and general research interests. In addition to their research project, students participate in didactic course that provides them with a foundation in cancer biology, radiation biology, radiation physics and math, and cancer imaging.

SUPERS is the ideal opportunity to find out whether graduate school and a career in the biomedical research is right for you, Accepted students spend ten weeks on campus at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The 2022 SUPERS program will run June 6th to August 12th 2022.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

The program is open to rising college Juniors and Seniors who have a genuine interest in pursuing a career in scientific research related to cancer biology and/or the radiation sciences. They must have a GPA of 3.2 or higher at an accredited College or University to be eligible to apply. Letters of recommendation from two faculty members who can attest to the student’s work ethic and genuine interest in pursuing post graduate studies leading to a career in research are required. 

We encourage applications from students of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented minority groups, disadvantaged backgrounds, socioeconomically disadvantaged, those with a disability as defined by the ADA, or who attend small colleges.

Application Process: 

Fill out the application form completely and thoroughly. In addition to some basic information about yourself, you will also need to include a personal statement explaining your interest in the program, two letters of recommendation, and a copy of your transcript. An official transcript may be needed upon your acceptance. If you have a CV, please include that as well.

To submit your application, please set the subject of the e-mail to: "Application, your name" and send it to supers@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Application Deadline: 

Friday, February 4, 2022
For more information on this opportunity, please contact: