Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) Internship Programs: An Overview
The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is a collaborative and cross-disciplinary nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Seattle. As an affiliate of Providence, ISB is dedicated to translational science, championing scientific research with real-world clinical impacts. A key objective of ISB involves transferring knowledge gained through research to the community for the benefit of society, as well as inspiring and preparing the next generation of researchers. The Systems Education Experiences (SEE) program within the Baliga Lab meets and surpasses that objective through a variety of internship programs. Unlike most of academia, ISB provides faculty the opportunity to focus specifically on research without classroom teaching requirements. ISB internships offer faculty mentoring of high school, undergraduate, and graduate student interns throughout the year.
High School Internship Programs
ISB offers multiple opportunities for high school students, a mix of in-person and virtual experiences, emphasizing systems thinking, data analysis, and computational modeling. These programs are designed to introduce students to systems thinking, data analysis, and computational modeling using a variety of tools. All applicants who submit a complete application will be eligible to participate at some level. The application for all opportunities is the same.
Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship (STiSA)
Current 10th and 11th graders are eligible to apply for STiSA. All applicants who complete the full application will be accepted into STiSA and can choose whether or not to participate. You can participate in both STiSA and either the internship or DREAM-High, should you be selected. As a STiSA participant, you will first be invited to attend a 2-hour, virtual workshop: “Systems are Everywhere.” You will learn about systems modeling and how systems thinking is used in research and careers. You will then have the opportunity to enroll in one of two virtual micro-courses: “Introduction to Systems Medicine” or “Environmental Systems, Research, and Stewardship.” From there, you will be invited to participate in other courses including the final virtual micro-course of the series, “Learning in Motion: Taking Action in Your Community.” These workshops will be held several times throughout the summer. After you attend a 2-hour workshop, you will be invited to join an interactive Slack channel. This will allow you to stay connected with other ambassadors, and to our team so you can hear about upcoming opportunities to advance your systems thinking in STEM. These opportunities will be a combination of virtual and in-person offerings that you can participate in according to your interest and availability. As a STiSA participant, you will also be eligible to join one of our LEADS Cohorts. This is a free program.
Formal Summer Internship
Current 11th graders only are eligible to apply for ISB’s 8-week (~300 hours) formal summer internship. This summer’s possible internship topics include but are not limited to: computational biology (which can include scenarios in health and/or the environment), cancer, microbiology (which includes microbial interactions, antimicrobial resistance, resilience and collapse of complex systems), engineering laboratory systems, technology development, the microbiome, infectious disease, immune system diversity, and aging and fragility. All projects are aligned with a current ISB project which is driven by a mentor. Students will learn about systems biology and apply their learning to a research project. Depending on the project, students will also learn and/or deepen their understanding of scientific, engineering, math, coding, leadership and other professional and computer-based skills. We will host 4-10 temporary High School Interns in the Baliga Lab and/or in other ISB Labs. The internship will begin on June 29 and end on August 21, 2026 (excluding July 4). The Interns will be at ISB to 40 hours per week. Unpaid service learning and paid positions are available.
To allow students from a variety of institutes to participate, interns will participate for 10 consecutive weeks during the summer that must include the seven weeks from June 22 to August 7. Work hours are flexible based on your particular internship. Interns work approximately 40 hours a week which typically falls between a 9:00AM - 5:00PM M-F work schedule. However, interns can work out specific schedules with their mentors.
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Project Selection and Mentorship
During the internship hiring process, ISB staff talk with students and analyze their essays to match students with available projects and mentors. The idea is for students and mentors to pick projects together, aligning with current and/or new projects at ISB, driven by a mentor.
DREAM-High
Current 11th graders only are eligible to apply for DREAM-High (~32 hours over 6 weeks). DREAM-High is a partnership program brought to you by Columbia University, ISB and Stanford University. Through hands-on programming in R and Python, you will learn to visualize and analyze genomics, clinical, and physical data from cancer cells. You will apply that learning to related challenge projects. Students will also collaborate with others across the nation and showcase their skills online. See this page for more details. We will host 12 DREAM-High Scholars to join ISB’s summers cohort which will tentatively begin the second week of July and extend through to the third week of August. DREAM-High Scholars join flexibly arranged online sessions once per week for 3-4 hours with other DREAM-High scholars. These sessions are led by active cancer systems biology researchers from all partner institutes.
Academic Year Internship
Current 11th graders only are eligible to apply for an Academic Year Internship (~10 or more hours per week during your senior year). Many local schools have programs that provide students release time during their senior year to complete an internship. If you are one of these students, now is the time to apply rather than during the summer before 12th grade. ISB generally hosts between 2 and 6 high school seniors to intern. The internship runs very similar to the 8-week summer program, but is flexibly scheduled according to the intern and mentor’s time. In all cases, work is done during business hours between Monday and Friday, from 9am to 5pm.
Program Highlights
The systems biology approach allows students to work with many specialists, directly involving the students in a variety of projects, using many types of technology and techniques. Students gain valuable microbiology, engineering, and computational experience. Due to the unique nature of this curriculum building and research-based laboratory experience, students are highly engaged in creative problem solving as well as both independent and group learning. In addition to the scientific and educational components of their 8-week internship, students also meet with a variety of the ISB staff allowing them to explore many types of professions and career paths. Who they speak with is up to the students, but usually, students meet with faculty members, research scientists, as well as administrative, legal, development, financial, and ISB’ers. The program has been highly successful and is externally evaluated promoting the best experience possible.
Jessica, an intern who went on to attend UC Berkeley, had the following to say about her time at ISB. “I learned how to work collaboratively in a lab setting. It was also great to get a feeling for what it is like to be a research scientist. “This was a really great thing to realize because it made the knowledge of people in the lab seem a lot more accessible to me and a more realistic goal,” Jessica added. To showcase their work and to document their experience, students learn from a skilled web designer to develop their own web pages. View the pages to learn more about what the interns do during their summer at ISB. If you are wondering what a standard day might be like for an intern, the 2012 interns, and many other since, put together a quick glance into a typical day at the end of their About Us page. Our 2014 interns, and many others since, also put together a page with information for applicants. For more student comments on the internship, please view this short video featuring our 2011 interns and the above-referenced video featuring one of our 2016 interns. All of this information can be found within the previous interns’ webpages.
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Application Information and Eligibility
The application window for High School Student Positions is now OPEN. The deadline for applying will be March 11, 2026 at 4:00pm Pacific Time. Please learn more about our programming and timeline below and on the FAQ page BEFORE contacting our team with questions. All applicants who submit a complete application will be eligible to participate at some level. Learn more about our programs below and on these additional pages: Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship, LEADS, and the Student Programming FAQ Page.
Applicants must be in possession of a high school diploma or equivalent before applying to this program. Current 10th and 11th graders are eligible to apply for STiSA. Current 11th graders only are eligible to apply for ISB’s 8-week formal summer internship, DREAM-High, and an Academic Year Internship.
If you applied last year and are still eligible, you can apply again. For instance, students who applied last year as 10th graders but are now 11th graders are welcome to reapply. You can also use some of the same materials if it makes sense and is still pertinent in your life. For instance, to reduce the burden on your teachers, you can have them use the same letter of recommendation.
Application Process
The application process occurs in 2 stages. The preliminary stage is open to everyone and the application does not require any prior preparation. Those students who are a best fit for our program will be invited to complete a full application.
Mid-January the application process opens. The timeline includes:
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- March 12 - April 14 or after: Review of applications.
- April 15 - May 31: Deeper review with phone and/or in-person interviews.
- June 29: First day working at ISB for HS Internship.
Additional files include your transcript, resume and cover letter (which should address the prompts listed in the application instructions).
To submit an unofficial transcript, first try taking screen shots from your online grade platform. If that does not work for all semesters, type up a rough list of the courses you have taken, the grades you received, and the name and address of your school. Upload that document as your unofficial transcript with your application with a note that let's us know you manually typed this in.
You can edit your application as many times as you want before the deadline. Keep in mind, Google Forms will not allow you to change the file you uploaded after submitting it, but you can upload additional documents.
Recommendation Letters
Encourage your teacher to include information about you that ISB cannot see in your resume or application, such as descriptions of your work ethic, passions, personality, and working style. Be sure the recommendation letter includes the teacher's name, contact information, and affiliation, the date, and the applicant's name along with the letter itself.
Service Learning
On your application, make sure to click the “Service Learning” option. Also, describe in the section asking about “educational benefit” that you’d like volunteer hours.
What to Do If You Have Another Offer
If you have received another offer and have not heard back from ISB yet, first, check your spam folder. If it is true that you have not received a decision yet, you may want to consider taking the opportunity that's been offered to you. Making decisions about which opportunity to go for when you have different deadlines is an important part of your academic and professional development. Even if you don't work with ISB this summer, there are plenty of opportunities available at ISB throughout your undergraduate and graduate years. If you are in the midst of our May/June interviews and you can't decide between opportunities, please reach out to ISB. They can help talk through the decision.
Logistics
Housing is not provided. Students, with the approval of their guardian(s), will need to arrange their own housing, if required. There is limited parking available at ISB. Most interns either bus or are dropped off.
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences Program
ISB's Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences Program offers undergraduates a paid opportunity to participate in research side by side with experts in systems biology. The application opens in December and closes in February.
Year-Round Internships and Research Experiences
ISB fields year-round requests for internships or other research experiences in which students and/or educators have identified a funding source. These requests are vetted based on the interest and experience of the potential intern as well as the availability of appropriate ISB mentors.
Additional Opportunities
LEADS Program
The LEADS program is offered to all participants within ISB's high school programming.
ESORE Program
ESORE is a 6-week program developed by SEE for high school students to get outside, connect with current environmental science, and meet professionals in the environmental field.
Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship (STiSA)
In 2021, ISB launched a Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship (STiSA). These students completed projects such as STiSA profiles, STEM professional interviews, and environmental projects/human health projects.
Systems Thinkers in STEM Video Interview Series
ISB has created a “Systems Thinkers in STEM” video interview series featuring STEM professionals from a wide range of STEM and healthcare careers. This interactive series contains videos of STEM professionals and their workplaces. Learn how systems thinking plays a role in all STEM career pathways, what skills are needed in different STEM fields and how YOU can be a systems thinker. All of our high school participants are invited to take part in this program which actively builds seven foundational leadership skills. This tiered set of interactive, mentored courses on systems biology leads to student-driven research and community action projects. These activities introduce students to systems thinking, data analysis and computational modeling using a variety of tools.
Computational Modeling Program
During the summer of 2020, 42 rising 12th-grade students used their quarantine time to learn how computational modeling can be used to solve complex problems. Students designed and completed projects related to computational modeling with the online guidance of scientists, programmers, and educators within or connected to SEE at ISB.
General Information
ISB's Environment
ISB strives for the best possible work environment. The organization is a collaborative and cross-disciplinary nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Seattle.
Contact Information
Still have questions? You can reach out to HR via ISB's contact form.
Faculty Mentorship
ISB's faculty mentorship program enables success and sustainability by linking assistant professors with senior faculty who provide advice and support.
Postdoctoral Fellows
At ISB, postdoctoral fellows can hone their skills on important, cutting-edge research projects in a cross-disciplinary, collaborative setting alongside dedicated faculty and staff.
Exploring Internship Topics
Possible internship topics include but are not limited to: systems medicine (medicine that is predictive, preventative, personalized and participatory), bioengineering with algae, computational modeling, and researching with model organisms (including archaea, algae, diatoms, anaerobes, bacteria, and/or yeast). All projects are aligned with a current ISB project which is driven by a mentor.
Knowledge Transfer
One of the key objectives of ISB involves transferring knowledge gained through research to the community for the benefit of society. The Systems Education Experiences (SEE) program within the Baliga Lab meets and surpasses that objective through a variety of internship programs. One is based on the current research happening within the Baliga Lab and other ISB labs. The second is based on new curricular and research initiatives being launched throughout ISB. This internship is very different than those typically found in research labs.
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