The Radiation Biology and Physics Undergraduate Research Summer Program is a 10-week undergraduate research summer program designed to allow students to gain valuable full-time biomedical research experience. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in basic and translational research in the fields of radiation oncology, free radical biology, and medical physics under the mentorship of experienced research faculty while attending lectures, taking advantage of career development programming, and networking with their fellow participants.

The Biomedical Scholars Summer Undergraduate Research Program (BSURP) at the University of Iowa is sponsored by six Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs in Genetics, Human Toxicology, Immunology, Molecular Medicine, Neuroscience, and Free Radical and Radiation Biology. The purpose of the BSURP is to provide talented undergraduate bioscience majors with direct laboratory research experience under the mentorship of research faculty members, to introduce them to the challenges and rewards provided by a research career, and to showcase the outstanding biomedical research training opportunities at the University of Iowa.

The University of Iowa Summer Undergraduate MSTP Research (SUMR) Program is an intensive 8-week summer experience designed for highly motivated undergraduates interested in pursuing future combined MD/PhD training toward a career as a physician-scientist. Participants carry out independent, hands-on research under the direction of an established mentor in the biomedical sciences, gaining an appreciation for how physician-scientists translate research findings to patient care. Beyond the lab, the program includes weekly seminars at the intersection of science and medicine, career development sessions covering medical and graduate school admissions, informal chats with current MD/PhD students, clinical shadowing opportunities with physician-scientist mentors and Emergency Room personnel, and a final research presentation. Participants receive a $4,150 stipend for the 8-week period, university housing, and a travel allowance. Mentorship matching is tailored to applicants' stated research interests, with participants open to any experience often paired with faculty who have a strong history with the SUMR program.

The Iowa Cancer Research Experience (ICARE) Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship Program, offered through the University of Iowa's Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and funded by the American Cancer Society and NIH, is a one-to-two-year full-time fellowship designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate training and doctoral-level study in cancer-related fields. Targeted at recent college graduates — particularly those from backgrounds underrepresented in the biomedical workforce — the program places fellows in research labs across a broad spectrum of cancer disciplines, where they spend approximately 75% of their time conducting mentored research with the goal of contributing to a manuscript. The remaining 25% is dedicated to professional development, including career coaching, graduate and medical school application guidance, skills bootcamps covering topics like grantsmanship and scientific writing, weekly seminars, and networking with Cancer Biology graduate students and near-peer mentors. Fellows receive a salary of $38,755 per year plus benefits, up to $3,000 annually for research supplies or conference travel, and opportunities to present at the Holden Scientific Retreat and national meetings. The program is explicitly designed to strengthen the competitiveness of post-baccalaureate trainees for admission into top-tier doctoral programs in biomedical science, data science, public health, or health professions.