Columbia University and Amazon Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program
SURE is a unique academic-industry collaboration created to foster career exploration at the frontiers of engineering research. This 10-week summer research program in New York City is designed to support under-represented minorities and female-identifying students in STEM on their pathways into graduate school in engineering and science. A recent recipient of the INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine Inspiring Programs in STEM Award, SURE has a reputation for helping students jumpstart their careers as researchers and academics.
2022 SURE Cohort (photo by Jane Nisselson)
SURE at a Glance
Participate in a unique academic-industry collaboration and engage in cutting-edge research at Columbia University. You’ll have the opportunity to be mentored by faculty, researchers, and STEM professionals from academia and industry.
But that’s not all…
- Develop a better understanding of how scientific discoveries transform into solutions and products.
- Expand your professional network to open doors to new career opportunities and innovative research ideas.
- Participate in enriching personal and professional development programming designed to enrich learning as you navigate the next steps of your career.
- Explore New York City through fun, interactive activities across the city with unparalleled opportunities for discovery, innovation, and growth.
- Celebrate your achievements in a Summer Research Symposium and showcase your research efforts to peers, faculty, researchers, and industry professionals
SURE Program Eligibility
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Rising juniors and rising seniors from any U.S. based college of university in any STEM major
- Should be in strong academic standing, particularly in STEM coursework
- Must not already have a Bachelors degree or be slated for graduate May 2023 or Summer 2023)
- Women, underrepresented minorities, as well as students with community college experience or those attending institutions with limited opportunities for undergraduate research, are encouraged to apply (See National Science Foundation definition of under-represented minority)
- Interested in attending graduate school
- Prior research experience but not required but a strong curiosity in research is recommended
Apply Now
Any questions related to the Columbia-Amazon SURE Program can be directed to [email protected].
SURE Impact
SURE Alumni Profiles
Faculty Mentors
You are welcome to visit the websites of faculty members listed below to explore possible research projects in their groups. This is not an exhaustive list of faculty with whom SURE fellows will be able to work this summer.
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Sunil Agrawal Professor of Mechanical Engineering and of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine |
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Eric Balkanski Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research |
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Simon Billinge Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics |
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Athanasios Bourtsalas Lecturer in Earth and Environmental Engineering |
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Chris Boyce Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering |
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Luca Carloni Professor of Computer Science |
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Augustin Chaintreau Associate Professor of Computer Science |
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Siu-Wai Chan Professor of Materials Science and Engineering |
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Shih-Fu Chang Senior Executive Vice Dean, SEAS, Richard Dicker Professor |
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Xi Chen Associate Professor of Computer Science |
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Asaf Cidon Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering |
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Tal Danino Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Principal Investigator of The Synthetic Biological Systems Laboratory |
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Steve Feiner Professor of Computer Science |
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Marco Giometto Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics |
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Christine P. Hendon Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Henry Hess Professor of Biomedical Engineering |
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James Hone Wang Fong-Jen Professor of Mechanical Engineering | MRSEC Director |
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Clark Hung Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Orthopedic Sciences |
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Garud N. Iyengar Tang Family Professor Of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research |
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Xiaofan (Fred) Jiang Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Hardeep Johar Senior Lecturer Of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research |
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Dion Khodagholy Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Elisa Konofagou Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology (Physics) |
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Christian Kroer Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research |
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Sanat Kumar Bykhovsky Professor of Chemical Engineering |
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Ioannis (John) Kymissis Kenneth Brayer Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Upmanu Lall Alan & Carol Silberstein Professor of Earth & Environmental Engineering, and Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics; Director Columbia Water Center; Chair of Earth and Environmental Engineering |
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Helen H. Lu Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering |
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Kyle T. Mandli Associate Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics |
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Vijay Modi Professor of Mechanical Engineering |
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Kristin Myers Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering |
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Itsik Pe'er Associate Professor of Computer Science |
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Feniosky A. Pena-Mora Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics | Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering | Professor of Computer Science |
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Matthias Preindl Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Kui Ren Professor of Applied Mathematics |
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Dan Rubenstein Professor of Computer Science |
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Henning Schulzrinne Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Mathematical Methods and Computer Science and Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Ken Shepard Lau Family Professor of Electrical Engineering; Professor of Biomedical Engineering |
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Samuel Sia Professor of Biomedical Engineering |
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Mijo Simunovic Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering |
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Brian Smith Assistant Professor of Computer Science |
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J. Thomas "Tommy" Vaughan, Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Radiology; Director, The Columbia Magnetic Resonance Research Center; Principal Investigator, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute |
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Latha Venkataraman Vice Provost For Faculty Affairs; Lawrence Gussman Professor of Applied Physics and Professor of Chemistry |
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Carl Vondrick Assistant Professor of Computer Science |
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Renata Wentzcovitch Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Earth and Environmental Science |
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John Wright Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics | Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering |
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Eugene Wu Associate Professor of Computer Science |
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Bolun Xu Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering |
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Huiming Yin Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and of Engineering Mechanics |
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Gil Zussman Professor of Electrical Engineering |
SURE in the News
Amazon MS Fellowship
The Amazon MS Fellowship at Columbia Engineering is designed to increase the participation of students from underrepresented groups in graduate programs in STEM disciplines.
The Amazon MS Fellowship includes:
- Tuition support for completing MS degree program requirements in Columbia Engineering
- A chance to participate in an internship at Amazon during academic semesters and the summer
- Supervision from industry professionals and a chance to be considered for career opportunities at Amazon after completing MS studies
IMPORTANT DATES
Application Opens: Early November 2022
Information Sessions: Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 7 PM ET (Register Here) Thursday, January 9, 2023 at 4 PM ET (Register Here)
Tentative Program Dates: May 31 - August 4th 2023
Application Deadline: January 22, 2023 “Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Early application is encouraged.
Selection Notifications: Early April 2023
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- 10 weeks of Laboratory Research
- Graduate student and faculty mentoring
- Room and Board
- Basic Health Care
- Summer Stipend
- Weekly professional development and graduate school preparation seminars
- Industry visits
- Social activities across NYC
SURE Program FAQs
Visit our FAQs to learn more about the Columbia University and Amazon Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program or contact us at [email protected]