REU Application
With our 2026 joint REU application, you will be able to apply for all summer research opportunities coordinated through the BU Photonics Center, funded by the programs listed below:
- NSF REU Site in Integrated Nanomanufacturing
- NSF REU Opportunities in Cellular Metamaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
- NSF REU Site in Translational Biophotonics
The REU application will be available here from December 15 – March 15. Application review begins in mid-January, and students will be admitted on a rolling basis beginning in mid-February.
Applicants will be considered for all projects relevant to their studies and interests. Your answers regarding research interests and preferences will help us make appropriate lab placements.
Prior research experience is not required. Preference is given to highly motivated students who do not have access to comparable research opportunities at their home institutions.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Our application consists of standard identity and demographic questions plus the following long answer questions to help us understand your research interests, motivations, and longer term aspirations:
- Please briefly describe any previous research experience here. If none, please type “NA.” (Please note: prior research experience is not required.)
- If you have prior non-research employment or volunteer experience, please briefly describe here. If none, please type “NA.”
- What qualities, characteristics, and skills will you bring to our REU program as a result of your work, activities, volunteering, and other life experiences?
- Please tell us about your research interests and career goals. What motivates your interests? Which classes or prior experiences sparked your curiosity and passion?
- Please identify specific research areas that interest you – for example, photonics, biomechanics, biomaterials, neuroscience, robotics, translating science from the lab to the clinic, tissue engineering, etc. This information can help us place you in a lab.
- How will this REU experience support your academic and career goals?
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
As part of your application, you will be asked to upload a copy of your unofficial academic transcript (PDF, JPEG, or PNG format).
Applicants are invited (but not required) to upload a resume.
We will also need to receive one letter of recommendation from a professor, research mentor, or advisor who knows you well and can speak to your academic strengths, research skills, or professional potential. The letter of recommendation is a valuable part of your application to our program. We encourage you to invite your recommender to share specific information on how you would be successful in an undergraduate research opportunity. Please request your letter of recommendation well in advance of the application deadline. Please ask your professor, research mentor, or advisor to upload their letter at our Letter of Recommendation Portal: https://www.bu.edu/photonics-programs/reu-lor/.