The Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (SURI) is a research-intensive, nine-week program for undergraduate students who have an interest in pursuing a career in the biomedical sciences and who have completed at least one year of study at a university or college. Interns will work on a research project within the laboratory of their primary mentor and will present their work as a short talk at our annual Intern Research Symposium. As a group, the interns will participate in additional scientific, career development, and social activities.

　　PNRI labs host interns through partnerships with universities and local nonprofit organizations, like Rainier Scholars{rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"}. We are honored to play a role in building the career of future scientists. Students who identify as African American, Hispanic, Latino, Latinx, Native American, Southeast Asian, Native Alaskan or Native Pacific Islander or another group historically excluded from the sciences OR who are from low-income homes OR who are the first in their family to attend college OR who attend two-year colleges or small liberal arts institutions without broad research facilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

　　PNRI labs hosting interns this summer:

　　The Carvalho Lab{rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} applies state-of-the-art molecular sequencing technologies to investigate the genome of individuals with rare diseases. Our goal is to investigate disease-specific genomic alterations to understand how they contribute to disease expression and the mechanisms underlying DNA variation formation. Students will learn human genetics and analysis of next-generation sequencing data in the context of diseases. Potential projects will allow interns to learn and use various technologies and methodologies to study the structure of the genome.

　　The Dudley Lab{rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} studies how naturally occurring genetic variation leads to the stunning array of phenotypic diversity that we see on the planet. As an undergraduate intern in our lab, you will use a combination of classic microbiology, modern genomics, and high throughput robotics to discover which mutations in human genes could cause disease. Potential projects will focus on genes that cause rare childhood diseases in which rapid diagnosis can positively impact a patient's health outcome.

　　The McLaughlin Lab{rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} studies genome evolution with a particular interest in the evolutionary arms race between our genomes and pathogens like viruses and transposons. As an undergraduate intern in our lab, you will use a combination of molecular and computational biology to explore how our innate immune genes evolve to stop pathogens and the diseases that result when our immune system falters. Potential projects will focus on studying new genes that contribute to our ability to prevent disease and how pathogen replication could drive autoimmune disease.

　　The Metzger Lab{rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} studies a transmissible cancer in clams in which the cancer cells themselves jump from animal to animal through the environment. As an undergraduate intern in our lab, you will use a combination of experimental and computational techniques to grow clam cancer cells in the lab, analyze cancer genomes, and detect cancer-specific DNA in seawater. Potential projects will focus on understanding how cancer can evolve and how host animals can become resistant to it.