Research Opportunities
Hopkins Internships - Summer Undergraduate Research Funds
(HI-SURF)
The Oceans Department, with funding from both the department and the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE), offers full-time paid research internships to current Stanford undergraduates who wish to spend their summer quarter participating in a faculty research project focused on ocean-related science.
All research projects take place at Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey Bay, located approximately 90 minutes from Stanford’s main campus. Students will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students in an immersive research setting.
Laboratory and field research often involve long hours, careful attention to detail, and flexibility, as schedules may be irregular and research progress can be gradual. Students are encouraged to review the project descriptions below and contact the research mentor to determine whether a particular project aligns with their interests and goals.
Eligibility
- Must be enrolled as an undergraduate the following Autumn Quarter.
- Students must be in the undergraduate tuition group while using grant funding.
- Coterm students should read this Registrar webpage for details on when you are switched to graduate tuition.
- Students may not be serving a suspension or on a Leave of Absence (LOA)
For full eligibility requirements, please visit VPUE's student eligibility requirements web page.
Restrictions
- Not already participating an another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise).
- Students may not receive both academic credit and stipend for any single project activity.
- Students receiving full-time summer stipends may not register for more than 5 units of coursework, nor may they work for more than 10 hours per week outside of their project experience.
- Rising seniors who are conducting Honors research should apply for a Major Grant. Most Major Grants are awarded to students beginning an honors thesis.
Support
Stipend Amounts
Full-time stipends are awarded at $8,500 for 9 weeks of full-time effort.
Need-Based Supplements
Students may be eligible for an additional need-based supplement of up to $1,500, as determined by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE) and the Office of Financial Aid (FAO). To be considered, students must grant VPUE permission to request an assessment of their financial need from FAO. No specific financial information is shared with VPUE or the Oceans department, and students are not required to contact FAO directly. Students who do not sign the required contract and waiver form will not be considered for the need-based supplement.
Belden Housing at Hopkins
The Stanford Hopkins Residences in beautiful Monterey, CA are available to students enrolled in courses and in the HI-SURF program. This residence is located in the heart of Monterey, seven blocks from the Hopkins Marine Station, convenient to amenities and services.
Important Dates and Commitments
- The program requires a full-time, nine-week commitment from June 22 through August 15, 2026.
- HI-SURF poster symposium takes place the final week of the program (week nine).
2026 Application Procedure
Application Submission Deadline: Thursday, February 12, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST
Interested Stanford undergraduates should fill out the online application. Students may select their top 1-3 project choices, in order of preference. Project mentors will review applications and may invite selected applicants for interviews.
2026 Summer Projects
Block Lab
Intraspecific Niche Variation in Lamnid Sharks
This student will work in the Block Lab at Hopkins Marine Station on the intraspecific niche variation of lamnid sharks. The lamnid family, or mackerel sharks, is a group of regionally endothermic predatory sharks that include the white shark, salmon shark, and mako shark. Electronic tagging has indicated niche differentiation is likely occurring between these species, but we have a limited understanding of how much variation in niche exists at the individual level within each species. This student will work with their mentor to analyze tagging data from one species in this lamnid family to quantify the individual niches of sharks and determine how those influence the population level ecological niche. Experience with programming languages (Ideally proficiency in R), a strong background in ecology, and enthusiasm about marine science is preferred.
Suggested skills/ interest/ background for project: Background in ecology and biology, proficiency in R.
Contact: Sabrina Daley (scdaley@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://www.stanfordblocklab.org/
Block Lab
Extending eDNA to Capture Genetic Variation for Estimates of White Shark Abundance in the Monterey Bay
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a non-invasive ecological monitoring technique that accurately detects the presence of rare, elusive predators like white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Compared to other methods like acoustic tagging and visual observation, eDNA can be a cheaper and easier way to reliably monitor white sharks. Simply collect water from the ocean, extract the DNA, and assay for white shark-specific DNA. So far, eDNA has primarily been used to detect whether a shark is present in the sampling location or not. It has not been expanded to answer questions such as which white shark was detected, what type of white shark was detected, or how many white sharks were detected. This project will implement a new model to estimate the local abundance of white sharks at Ano Nuevo, a white shark aggregation site in the Monterey Bay. Particularly, for each sampling day the student will compare the eDNA model’s estimate of white shark abundance to two other methods: the number of tagged sharks detected by an acoustic receiver and the number of sharks photographed at the surface. The student will learn how to filter water from white shark aggregation sites in the Monterey Bay, extract the eDNA, design and test primers, amplify white shark DNA, and bioinformatically analyze DNA sequences. The ideal student will have some basic molecular biology lab experience (i.e. pipetting) and preferably some programming ability in R. The student will gain hands-on experience with lab and field work, as well as learn about technologies to monitor and conserve threatened marine species. The student can also participate in science communication activities such as creating content for the Monterey Bay White Sharks Instagram page.
Suggested skills/ interest/ background for project: Molecular biology lab work, bioinformatics, data science.
Contact: Raksha Shree Doddabele (rakshad@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://www.stanfordblocklab.org/
Crowder Lab
A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Variability and Prey Distribution Across Ecosystems
This student will work in the Crowder Lab at Hopkins Marine Station to investigate how oceanographic conditions shape the movements and foraging behavior of two marine predators: Loggerhead Sea Turtles and Magellanic Penguins. The student will compare the physical oceanography of several key ecosystems (e.g., the California Current, Patagonian Shelf, and North Pacific) to understand how each environment may influence prey availability and species habitat use.
The student will quantify ocean features such as fronts, eddies, stratification, and productivity using remotely sensed datasets. They will extract and process environmental metrics, create spatial summaries, and develop comparative maps that reveal where and how potential prey aggregation zones form across systems.
By linking physical ocean structure with likely prey distributions, the student’s analyses will provide essential ecological context for ongoing tracking studies, helping the lab interpret movement and behavior patterns in relation to each species’ environmental landscape. Depending on prior experience, the student may extend their analysis to animal-telemetry data to compare habitat characteristics with observed movement patterns.
Suggested skills/ interest/ background for project: Basic coding skills preferred. Familiarity with marine food webs may be helpful, but not necessary. Ideal for students who want to gain experience in R, remote sensing, marine ecology, and/or comparative spatial analysis.
Contact: Sydney Hampton (sah12@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://crowderlab.stanford.edu/
De Leo Lab
Predicting the Impacts of Large Infrastructure Development and Global Change on the Distribution of Schistosomiasis, a Neglected Tropical Disease
Predicting future distributions of infectious diseases is critical to the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Schistosomiasis - a debilitating disease of poverty affecting ~250 million people globally - is influenced by large infrastructure developments (e.g., dams), rapid unplanned urbanization, and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure. Environmental and hydrological factors determine the distribution of freshwater snails that serve as intermediate hosts in the parasite’s life cycle.
Our lab is developing cost-effective, user-friendly, and scientifically robust quantitative tools to rapidly assess schistosomiasis transmission risk in response to global change and infrastructure development. These tools will enable the inclusion of disease risk considerations in Environmental Impact Assessments and facilitate testing of transmission reduction strategies.
The summer intern will contribute by building scripts to summarize and compare models of predicted disease impact, identifying and integrating new data streams to improve model responsiveness, optimizing interfaces between models and user needs, and testing the tool with simulated scenarios of infrastructure development in endemic regions. The project provides hands-on experience in disease ecology modeling, data integration, and the development of decision-support tools for public health and development planning.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: The ideal candidate will have strong interest in developing data-driven tools for infectious disease control or natural resource management. Proficiency in R or Python is required, along with background in statistics (at least one introductory course). Interest in global health, ecology, or environmental science is highly desirable. Experience with GIS or spatial analysis tools is preferred but not required. Background in disease ecology or epidemiology would be helpful but is not necessary. We welcome students from diverse academic backgrounds who are eager to apply quantitative approaches to complex global health challenges.
Contact: Kayla Kauffman (kmkauffm@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://deleolab.stanford.edu/
De Leo Lab
Uncovering the diversity of Labyrinthula species within seagrasses in Palau
Seagrass wasting disease is a disease that causes distinct melanized lesions on blades of seagrass often found and described on eelgrass within temperate waters. I am interested in studying if seagrass wasting disease is present in Palau, and the diversity of the disease causing agent within multiple hosts. The causative agent for this disease is the protist Labyrinthula spp. Together, we will be utilizing a variety of wet lab techniques (DNA extractions, PCR, sequencing, and bioinformatics) to quantify the Labyrinthula species within the tissue of two different seagrass hosts in Palau. Highly recommend this project if you are interested in learning more about marine pathogens, ecology and conservation.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: Wet lab and pipetting
Contact: Joy A. Kumagai (kumagaij@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://deleolab.stanford.edu/
Micheli Lab
Field & Molecular Ecology of Seagrass Epibionts
Seagrass beds are among the most productive vegetated ecosystems on Earth, providing critical services such as carbon sequestration, fisheries support, and sediment stabilization. This productivity is underpinned by tiny organisms, epibionts, that colonize eelgrass blades and can play complex roles in seagrass growth and ecosystem functioning. Despite their importance, little is known about how environmental factors such as nutrient availability, light, and herbivory shape patterns in seagrass epibiont community assembly, composition and their spatial distributions.
This project’s goal is to catalog these communities on eelgrass blades at Elkhorn Slough, along a gradient of environmental variation and eutrophic expression, to help researchers understand how epibiont community and seagrass ecosystem health are linked, track biodiversity changes over time, and develop effective monitoring strategies. Students will assist with field surveys at Elkhorn Slough, collecting eelgrass shoots and recording environmental data to characterize site level conditions and epibiont patterns. In the lab, students will help process samples for DNA barcoding, contributing to a growing molecular reference library to identify local epibionts.
Students will gain hands-on experience in both field ecology and molecular techniques while learning to ask questions that connect environmental measurements with biodiversity data. This project is ideal for students interested in coastal ecosystems, molecular ecology, and applied research.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: Interested students are curious about biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, and ecology! No formal experience in field or lab is necessary, training for wetlab techniques will be provided. Comfort on boats and or in water is suggested for field work support.
Contact: Ryan Rogers (ryancr@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://michelilab.stanford.edu/
Micheli Lab
Image Analysis & Quantitative Tools for Eelgrass Epibiont Biodiversity Monitoring
Seagrass epibionts, small organisms that grow on seagrass blades, play essential roles in their hosts biology, influencing seagrass bed productivity, nutrient cycling, and resilience to environmental stress. Accordingly, tracking their abundance and functional composition is critical for understanding site level seagrass health, yet traditional identification methods are slow and limit the scale of monitoring.
This project leverages imaging and computer-vision tools to efficiently quantify epibiont coverage and functional composition, helping researchers track ecosystem changes over time and understand the factors that shape these communities at various sites in Elkhorn Slough. Students will work with scanned eelgrass shoots from sites along gradients of increasing eutrophic expression to curate imaging datasets, and assist in training computer-vision models that automate identification of epibionts and their functional groups. By translating images into quantitative data, this project helps create scalable, long-term monitoring tools that can reveal patterns invisible through traditional observation alone.
Students will receive structured mentorship and skill-building opportunities, gaining hands-on experience in ecological imaging, data management, and computational approaches. This project is ideal for students interested in quantitative ecology, machine-learning applications in environmental science, and using computational tools to address real-world conservation questions.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: Familiarity with image analysis is prefered but not required, similarly interest and curiosity around machine learning techniques and applications are preferred.
Contact: Ryan Rogers (ryancr@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://michelilab.stanford.edu/
Goldbogen Lab
Using Technologies to Study Whales and Whale Ecosystems
We are a group of integrative scientists that use whales and whale ecosystems as a way to ask fundamental questions about the rules and limits to life. We use a wide range of technologies including biologging, drone, and sonar systems to measure different aspects of whales and whale ecosystems. We have a wide range of projects potentially available to HI-SURF participants that vary with the interest and skill sets of each candidate. Field work opportunities may be possible pending weather and whale occurence.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: Programming experience and interest in whales and whale ecosystems.
Contact: Jeremy Goldbogen (jergold@stanford.edu)
Weigel Lab
Kelp Physiology in a Warming Ocean
Kelp have a complex life cycle with two distinct stages: macroscopic adults that can grow over 90 feet tall, and microscopic gametophytes that live on the ocean floor. Elevated ocean temperatures can impact the entire life cycle of kelp, from changing the metabolic rates in giant adult kelp to altering the success of sexual reproduction in microscopic kelp gametophytes. This project will examine the impacts of ocean warming on local kelp species by culturing them in the lab and performing thermal tolerance experiments at Hopkins Marine Station. This internship will expose students to diverse skillsets, including lab experiments, aquarium experiments, and potentially molecular work (DNA extraction). This project will be co-mentored by Dr. Brooke Weigel and PhD students in her lab.
Required skills/ interest/ background for project: Basic pipetting, use of microscopes, working with algal cultures and seawater tanks. Molecular skills: DNA extraction and PCR. These skills can be taught to the student during the summer internship!
Contact: Caroline Rice (ricecar@stanford.edu), Peter Garneau (pgarneau@stanford.edu), Kathrina Welborn (kwelborn@stanford.edu)
Lab Website: https://weigel-lab.stanford.edu/
HI-SURF Contact Information
Teri Hankes, Assistant Director of Student Services (thankes@stanford.edu)
Major Grants
For students who want to design their own research projects, grants are available through Stanford's undergraduate Research and Independent Study program; priority is given to juniors. Unlike the VPUE Major grant, where a student joins a pre-existing effort, these grants require students to draw up a research proposal in collaboration with a member of the Hopkins faculty.
Academic Year
While studying at Hopkins, you can also work on a research project under the supervision of one of the Hopkins faculty—and get additional academic credit in BIOHOPK 199 Guided Research. Our faculty is available to help you identify appropriate research opportunities—before you arrive or after you get here.
To see what we are working on, explore our Faculty Research Page.