APS/IBM Research Internship for Undergraduate Women and Underrepresented Minorities

The American Physical Society and IBM co-sponsor two undergraduate research internship programs: the APS/IBM Research Internship for Undergraduate Women, and the APS/IBM Research Internships for Underrepresented Minority Students. The goal of these internships is to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. Any student who identifies as a woman and an underrepresented minority is eligible to apply to both internships.

Underrepresented Minority Scholarships & Awards
Women Scholarships & Awards

APS/IBM Internship for Undergraduate Women

Applicants must be female, including all students who present or identify as women and/or trans women with sophomore or junior standing at a US college or university at the time of application. Additional eligibility requirements are below.

Learn How to Apply

"This challenging but rewarding internship not only gave me a chance to participate in real scientific research, but also let me experience the daily work of researchers. Doing research with the staff members and graduate students at IBM has brought me new insights on not only the new physics, but also how they come up with research ideas, how to deal with specific problems while doing the experiment, and how to capture a phenomenon and interpret it with physical meanings."

Elisa Yang, Bryn Mawr College and
2014 APS/IBM intern working at IBM Almaden

APS/IBM Internship for Underrepresented Minorities

Applicants must be underrepresented minorities (African American, Hispanic, or Indigenous) with sophomore or junior standing at a US college or university at the time of application. Additional eligibility requirements are below.

Learn How to Apply

"My research experience at IBM was very enriching. The industrial lab setting was an ideal place for me to be acquainted with both the technical and commercial aspect of scientific research. All the great minds and experts from different fields were across the hall and they were always welcoming and excited to share their knowledge. I have learned how to grow as a researcher including asking the right questions, devising efficient approaches to find solutions, writing and editing publication manuscripts and becoming familiar with steps in filing patents."

Loza Tadesse, Minnesota State University and
2015 APS/IBM intern working at IBM Almaden

General IBM Internship Information

Positions

IBM hosts paid summer internships at three IBM research locations: Almaden (San Jose, CA), Austin, TX, or Watson (Yorktown Heights, NY). These internship experiences provide students with the opportunity to work closely with an IBM mentor and work on research projects that match their skills and interests as well as the ongoing research programs of the laboratory. The Almaden and Watson lab have a full range of research, and the Austin lab focuses on software and systems. Information about the sites and their research may be found at:

• IBM Research
• IBM Research Almaden
• Watson Research Center
• IBM Research Austin

Internships typically last 10 weeks, and the start and end dates are chosen so as not to conflict with the student’s school schedule. Assistance in securing housing will be provided.

Additional Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be majoring in chemistry, physics, materials science or engineering, computer science or engineering, chemical, electrical, mechanical engineering, or biology, if it has an emphasis on one of the other areas listed
• Must have a minimum 3.0 GPA
• No citizenship restriction

Selection Procedure

Applications will be reviewed by separate selection committees at IBM/Almaden and selected based on their commitment to and interest in their major field of study. Any student who identifies as a woman and an underrepresented minority is eligible to apply to both internships.

Application Procedure

Each application consists of an online application, which is submitted through an IBM server, two letters of recommendation from faculty members in a field related to your major at your current college/university, and a list of your STEM courses with dates and grades (not a transcript).

  Additional application details. including essay prompt

For women: Please have your letters of recommendation emailed directly to apsibmin@us.ibm.com.

For minorities: Please have your letters of recommendation emailed directly to ibmurmin@us.ibm.com.

Applications are due January 31. Letters of recommendation must be emailed directly from your professor. Your application is not complete until we receive your letters of recommendation.

For any additional questions, please email bajones@us.ibm.com. Please do not send your questions to the letters of recommendation databases.

Selection notifications are sent out in early April.