Undergraduate Developmental Science Summer Internship

Each year, the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) offers an 8-week summer internship for rising junior and senior undergraduate students, spanning all areas of developmental science including clinical and typical development, and basic and applied research. Interns are paired with a faculty mentor, based on their research interests and career trajectories, and spend the summer working with their mentor on a relevant research project. The projects are in a series of tracks that include neuroscience, developmental, and clinical areas. Internships are 40 hours/week, and in addition to research interns are required to attend lectures and seminars where they are exposed to other areas of developmental science beyond the scope of their lab.

At the end of the summer, interns present their research project as a conference poster to YCSC faculty, staff, and students. Past research areas have included the neuroscience of parenting, adolescent risk-taking, interventions for vulnerable families, addiction, and social-emotional learning. The career pathways for our interns are generally to master’s and PhD programs, medical school, or research employment across the U.S. Many interns have their summer mentors provide letters of recommendation for their next career steps.

Applications for the Summer 2024 Internship are now closed. Please read on for information about the application and internship process for future summers.

This is a competitive internship with a limited number of places. Interns are encouraged to seek funding for this summer internship opportunity from their home institution or other sources. Stipends of up to $4,000 for the 8-week session may be available for those who are unable to secure such funding from their home university. Advice on summer housing will be provided upon acceptance to the internship. Only undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens, or international students currently enrolled in U.S. undergraduate degree granting institutions, are eligible to apply. We are sorry that we are unable to offer this opportunity to high school students or to graduating seniors.

Applications must include the following documentation:

1. A one-page letter specifying your reasons for applying to this particular internship, including your research and career interests and potential YCSC summer mentors (you do not need to contact the potential mentors, just provide those you would be interested in working with)
2. A two-page resume
3. Documentation of health insurance for the entirety of the summer period
4. Two letters of recommendation with the file name format as follows: YourLastName_Internship_Letter_YYYY (e.g., Jones_Internship_Letter_2025), submitted via e-mail by January 31
   

Please note: Though we successfully held in-person internships in Summer 2022 and 2023, future in-person internships may be subject to change given the global pandemic and a remote experience may be offered instead. Though we do not anticipate this need, we will notify all accepted applicants once a decision has been made.