Now in its 10th year, the LifeSci NYC Internship Program invites college and graduate students (and recent grads) to apply for fall, winter, and spring internship opportunities in science, tech, and business capacities. The program seeks to provide experience and training for students and recent graduates interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences industry.
Students enrolled in a New York City-based college or university or New York City residents (those who graduated from high school in NYC) enrolled in any college or university are eligible to apply. DO NOT APPLY IF YOU DO NOT MEET AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CRITERIA. Those who graduated in spring 2025 or later are also eligible.
Host companies and organizations range from early-stage startups to large pharmaceutical and biotech firms, academic medical research institutions, and businesses that serve the industry in specific capacities such as marketing, public relations, or capital investment. Some opportunities are also available in companies in the food tech, climate tech, and biomaterials sectors. More than 270 companies have served as hosts to nearly 1,400 students and recent grads since the program’s inception.
The program is open to all majors and areas of study, especially the following:
Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Biomedical, Chemical & Other Engineering
- Computer Science / Data Science / Statistics
- Immunology
- Medicine / Clinical Health
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacy
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Other life sciences / STEM fields
Management
- Accounting
- Business
- Communications
- Computer Science / IT
- Marketing
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Journalism
- Public Affairs / Public Policy
- Supply Chain / Operations
Eligibility
- Open to students currently enrolled in a New York City-based college or university, or New York City residents (those who graduated from high school in NYC) currently enrolled in any college or university
- Recent graduates (spring 2025 or later) are also eligible to apply
- Applicants must be US citizens or US permanent residents (including DACA participants), have TPS status, OR be holders of visas that allow completion of the internship without sponsorship. Note that applicants requiring the OPT STEM Extension (2nd year of OPT) are NOT eligible for this program.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
- Applicants should have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Students with a GPA under 3.0 may apply, but are asked to provide an explanation of extenuating circumstances.
- Participants in the LifeSci NYC Internship Program must commit to the work requirements of their host site, and will be invited to participate in any programming scheduled for members of the current LifeSci NYC Internship Program cohort.
Program Details
- Internship dates and time commitments will vary according to the needs of the host company.
- Host companies may be located anywhere within commuting distance of New York City, with work requirements varying as to in-person, remote, or hybrid status.
- Companies that served as hosts over the past year include Addinex, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, BioBus, Biolabs@NYULangone, CarbonBridge, ChemFinity, Columbia Department of Medicine, FREZENT, Healthcare Shares, Lilu, Inc., The Jackson Laboratory / New York Stem Cell Foundation, Sequential Skin, Surgivance, Swaza, Tactorum, The Bee Conservancy, TômTex, and many more!
- Please note that the LifeSci NYC Internship Program cannot provide housing, meals, and/or transportation costs. Interns must make their own arrangements for accommodations, meals, and travel.
- All positions are paid at least $17/hour, and most pay $18/hour or more.
We encourage you to complete an initial online application now (requiring basic information about you and your credentials, as well as your resume); our application also offers the option to include additional information and materials that may more fully reflect what you have to offer. You will then have access to our listings whenever we post a new position, and you will be able to apply quickly and easily for available roles posted through August 31, 2027.
To be considered for any specific role posted, program applicants submit a cover letter expressing interest in that role via our program portal. We post opportunities year-round and will inform program applicants of new postings on a regular basis.
Please note: As an applicant, you are not guaranteed a placement.
The application is open year-round; however, earlier applications are recommended, in order to provide the best chance for accessing the greatest number of opportunities, and providing preferred consideration for summer internships.
For more information and to apply, visit: https://bit.ly/lifescinycstudents
Sample opportunities:
SCIENCE ROLES
- R&D: Conduct research on coagulation, polymer chemistry, rheology, biochemistry, and material science.
- R&D: Perform research on functional annotation of the human genome with respect to fertility potential.
- Molecular Biology / Biochemistry / Cell Biology: Design, clone and test constructs using molecular and cell bio techniques; conduct protein expression, purification and characterization studies; develop and optimize experimental conditions to improve assay development workflow.
- Bioinformatics: Build pipelines and tools to manage large volumes of sequencing data and assist with generating and assessing meta-data to support R&D efforts.
- Data Science: Collect and analyze data which demonstrates the value of clinical decision tools in addressing public health issues; conduct outreach with calculator creators for virtual interviews and feedback; develop data-driven process for ongoing identification and prioritization of new EBM content and tools.
- Medical Device Design: Assist in designing and assembling proprietary hardware for use in hospitals and nursing homes.
- Quality Assurance: Help maintain central document control system, implement OSHA requirements, participate in inspections and report any non-conformances.
- STEM Education: Mentor high school students in science research programs; generate curriculum and materials to be used in pre-college programming
BUSINESS ROLES
- Business Development: Provide support for patent status and descriptions for marketing & licensing purposes. Analyze technologies for market potential. Develop commercial evaluation reports.
- Marketing: Support email marketing campaigns, make website updates, devise marketing ideas; research competitors & potential partners; assist w/events and other marketing tasks; manage social media efforts.
- Market Research: Perform market research, develop marketplace analysis, provide strategic assessment, use market research data to support existing and new marketing sales strategies.
- Public Relations / Communications: Support brainstorming, research, creating competitor profiles & assisting in development of proposal submissions. Exposure to consulting, team management, general financial and HR management.
- Finance: Develop new financial projections and budget model for existing and new clinical programs. Develop risk-adjusted valuation models for clinical programs.
- Educational / Non-Profit Administration: Provide administrative & logistical support for youth programming, support lesson material prep & distribution, fulfill communication & data management duties.
These are just a few examples of positions that have been offered in the past. Some may not be available at this time, and each has specific academic and skill requirements. There will also be positions available that require students to be knowledgeable in specialties not mentioned here.
Please direct any questions to internships@upperweststrategies.com.
