The 2025 REU application is live. Please start your application here.
REU Applications are accepted December 15 – March 15. Application review begins in February.
(Please note that we now offer two ways to apply: you may apply on this BU website OR you may use the NSF Education and Training Application.)
Applicants will be considered for all REU programs administered by the Boston University Photonics Center. Your answers to questions regarding your research interests will help us make appropriate lab placements.
Participants must be enrolled in an undergraduate STEM degree program, at a 2- or 4-year college. Current seniors graduating in May 2025 are not eligible to apply for summer 2025. Prior research experience is not required or expected, and preference will be given to highly motivated students who do not have access to comparable research opportunities through their home institutions.
NSF-funded REU opportunities are open to US citizens and permanent residents:
- NSF REU Site in Integrated Nanomanufacturing (NSF REU INM)
- NSF Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials (CELL-MET) REU focused on cardiac tissue engineering.
BU-funded REU opportunities are open to US citizens, permanent residents, and international students who attend a US university with a student visa:
- BU Materials Science REU opportunities for students interested in materials and engineering.
- BU Photonics Undergraduate Research Summer Experience (PURSuE) positions for rising seniors with photonics and optics interest and experience who plan to apply for graduate study at Boston University.
Application Documents
- Applications open on December 15, and must be submitted by March 15.
- As part of your application, you will be asked to upload a copy of your unofficial academic transcript (jpeg, PDF, or png format).
- To complete your application, please have one letter of recommendation emailed to phoreu@bu.edu by March 15. Please ask your recommender to include your last name in the filename.
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting in February, and REU positions will be filled by the end of March 2025.