In the summer of 2026, the Global Diversity Lab (GDL) at MIT’s Department of Political Science and the MIT Center for International Studies will be hosting undergraduate summer research interns as part of MIT’s Summer Research Program. 

Interns will split their time between participating as Research Assistants on the lab’s research projects and working on their own research project (e.g., initial work for a senior thesis) under the supervision of an MIT Political Science faculty mentor. The program also includes weekly workshops with MIT faculty and graduate students, both inside and outside of GDL, during which interns will be exposed to additional research projects and also participate in skills training sessions aimed at preparing them for careers in social science. MIT will provide on-campus housing and a stipend and also organize social activities for participants. 

The internship program seeks to demystify the process of applying to PhD programs and becoming an academic, which can be especially daunting for students without many personal connections to academia. Our hope is that our interns will use the experiences and skills from the program as a launching pad to graduate or job applications.  

MIT’s Global Diversity Lab is a group of political science faculty and graduate students focused on the relationships between human diversity, development, and dignity in the United States and around the world.  More information on the lab can be found on this website, including current research and affiliated faculty.

Further details on the MIT Summer Research Program are available here, including eligibility requirements. Applications for the summer 2026 internship program are now open. 

Note that to be eligible for the application above, students must be currently enrolled at a US university. We are also accepting a small group of GDL Summer Interns who are international students currently enrolled in Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programs in the social sciences at selected universities in Africa. Interested international students should contact globaldiversitylab@mit.edu for more information on that separate application process.

Information Session / Webinar: 

We are holding a webinar for interested US-based students to learn more about the program and application on Monday, December 15 at 7PM ET. Please register for the webinar HERE.