High School Students:
The 2026 Hillman Academy (formerly the UPCI Academy) is a 7-week summer program that connects students with a University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, or trainee mentor to perform authentic research in a biomedical or computational domain. This is a full-time internship with the expectation that students will work ~35hrs/week in a lab or office on campus with the exception of a small number of remote computational internships that will be completed at home. Throughout the application process, you will prioritize the nine research focuses/sites offered by the Hillman Academy. The CoSBBI site provides opportunities for fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote research experiences. The remaining eight sites are exclusively in-person. Please note that we do not offer housing, so if you are unable to commute to campus daily (Monday through Friday), consider selecting the CoSBBI site as your top choice. Students will learn research techniques and conduct their own research that will be presented at the end of the program. There will also be didactic sessions, as well as academic and career prep workshops. Applicants must be at least 15 (dry lab/computational) or 16 (wet lab) years of age by the start of the program and were enrolled in high school during the 2025-2026 school year.
Our program is free to all students. Additionally, we have federal and foundation funding partners that provide compensation to eligible students to encourage participation and provide access to all by removing barriers to participation. Compensation may be awarded to students with financial need, students from rural and urban schools with limited access to research opportunities, first generation college students, students with disabilities, and students from our community partner schools and organizations. Compensation decisions are determined through a need-based process similar to undergraduate financial aid, with specific criteria varying by funding source.
Tentative Program Dates:
High School Students - June 15th - July 31st, 2026 (end dates subject to change)
College Undergraduates:
The undergrad internship is now unpaid.
The Undergraduate internship program is a 9-week mentored research program for undergraduate students who participated in the Hillman (UPCI) Academy as high school students. Students will work in the labs with their mentors and on their own to develop and present a research topic at the end of the summer. It is also possible to work with faculty at your home institutions. This is replacing the former Doris Duke Charitable Foundation – Undergraduate Internship. All alumni who received compensation during their time in the Hillman Academy and are current undergraduates are eligible to apply. Admission IS NOT guaranteed to past participants.
- Volunteer program (unpaid)
- Admission is not guaranteed
Undergraduate Internship (UI) - June 1st - July 31st, 2026 (end dates subject to change)
2026 Hillman Academy
High School Students:
The 2026 Hillman Academy (formerly the UPCI Academy) is a 7-week summer program that connects students with a University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, or trainee mentor to perform authentic research in a biomedical or computational domain. This is a full-time internship with the expectation that students will work ~35hrs/week in a lab or office on campus with the exception of a small number of remote computational internships that will be completed at home. Throughout the application process, you will prioritize the nine research focuses/sites offered by the Hillman Academy. The CoSBBI site provides opportunities for fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote research experiences. The remaining eight sites are exclusively in-person. Please note that we do not offer housing, so if you are unable to commute to campus daily (Monday through Friday), consider selecting the CoSBBI site as your top choice. Students will learn research techniques and conduct their own research that will be presented at the end of the program. There will also be didactic sessions, as well as academic and career prep workshops. Applicants must be at least 15 (dry lab/computational) or 16 (wet lab) years of age by the start of the program and were enrolled in high school during the 2025-2026 school year.
Our program is free to all students. Additionally, we have federal and foundation funding partners that provide compensation to eligible students to encourage participation and provide access to all by removing barriers to participation. Compensation may be awarded to students with financial need, students from rural and urban schools with limited access to research opportunities, first generation college students, students with disabilities, and students from our community partner schools and organizations. Compensation decisions are determined through a need-based process similar to undergraduate financial aid, with specific criteria varying by funding source.
Tentative Program Dates:
High School Students - June 15th - July 31st, 2026 (end dates subject to change)
College Undergraduates:
The undergrad internship is now unpaid.
The Undergraduate internship program is a 9-week mentored research program for undergraduate students who participated in the Hillman (UPCI) Academy as high school students. Students will work in the labs with their mentors and on their own to develop and present a research topic at the end of the summer. It is also possible to work with faculty at your home institutions. This is replacing the former Doris Duke Charitable Foundation – Undergraduate Internship. All alumni who received compensation during their time in the Hillman Academy and are current undergraduates are eligible to apply. Admission IS NOT guaranteed to past participants.
- Volunteer program (unpaid)
- Admission is not guaranteed
Undergraduate Internship (UI) - June 1st - July 31st, 2026 (end dates subject to change)