Research Areas
Each student will be selected to work on a project that is funded through a specific source, outlined below. Please visit the links below for more information about the research and faculty involved with each center or institute. You do not need to apply for specific funding, but if you have a preference to work with a particular area or certain faculty funded by the centers or institutes listed, please note this in your research statement. Applicants are considered for all projects based on interest selected in the online application.
2025 Research Areas/Funding Sources
Study the mechanics of films and interfaces, design and test materials for soft robotics, and engineer materials and techniques for biological studies at cellular scales.
The Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS) at Harvard is a node of the NNCI, a network of nanotechnology user facilities. Areas of current exploration at CNS include photonics and optical computing, biomimetics, low-temperature physics, graphene and other 2-D materials, diamond-based nanoscale sensors and computing elements, photovoltaics, fuel cells, energy storage, and many more.
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering aims to discover the engineering principles that Nature uses to build living things and to harnesses these insights to create biologically inspired materials and devices that will revolutionize healthcare and create a more sustainable world. See the list of Wyss Core Faculty who can possibly host an REU student.
Join a multidisciplinary effort to help enable the collection, analysis and sharing of personal data for research in social science and other fields while providing privacy for individual subjects. Positions contingent on funding.
Many of our participating faculty have other opportunities in related areas such as alternative energy, bioengineering, and computer science. Please specify your research interest on your application.