Harnessing plants and microbes for sustainable solutions is essential to meet challenges presented by expanding populations, increased urbanization, and climate change; however, this effort requires a new breed of STEM student and professional. Located at Washington University in St. Louis, this REU program will provide foundational training for undergraduates interested in translating basic science discoveries to real-world applications and for fostering the next generation of broadly prepared STEM professionals.

Students in the 10-week program will join research groups in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry for projects that explore plant and microbial bioscience from foundational discovery to real-world applications. Research approaches range from the molecular/cellular to genomes/organismal to systems/environment.  At the core of the program is a focus on understanding biological organization, rules, and interactions across scales in a variety of plant and microbes and how those insights can drive innovation in agriculture, biomedicine, and sustainability science.

The program also delivers personal and professional development in a tiered mentoring community. Three pathways - Research Competencies, Graduate Admissions, and Biotech Exploration - provide professional and career support for all interns, as well as training in the safe, ethical, and rigorous conduct of research.  There are also opportunities to explore St. Louis.

Who Should Apply

The program is open to all rising sophomore, junior and senior undergraduate students with interests in understanding how plants and microbes function, how to apply that knowledge for a sustainable future, and looking ahead to careers in this area of science. Our priority is to recruit rising sophomores and juniors from primarily undergraduate institutions, but we are open to applications from all interested students.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States.  WashU students are not eligible for the program.

Program Faculty and Research Areas

Plants

Prof. Ram Dixit - Molecular mechanisms of cytoskeleton organization and function in plants from cell shape to division (https://sites.wustl.edu/dixitlab/)

Prof. Michael Landis - Phylogenetic models and software tools to infer how groups of species have evolved, interact with each other, and move among biomes over deep time (https://landislab.org)/

Prof. Kenneth Olsen - Plant molecular population genetics, phylogeography and evolutionary genomics (https://www.olsen-lab.org/)

Prof. Xuehua Zhong - Epigenetic regulation of plant traits and environmental adaptation (https://sites.wustl.edu/zhonglab/)

Microbes

Prof. Joshua Blodgett - Biosynthesis and regulation of specialized metabolism in microbes (https://sites.wustl.edu/blodgettlab/)

Prof. Arpita Bose - Mcrobial metabolism and applications for bioeconomy processes (https://sites.google.com/site/arpitaboselab/home)

Prof. Petra Levin - Environmental regulation of bacterial growth, cell cycle progression, and antibiotic tolerance & resistance (https://sites.wustl.edu/levinlab/)

Prof. Elizabeth Mallott - How the environment shapes host-associated microbial communities both within and across species (https://mallott-lab.github.io/)

Prof. Courtney Reichhardt - Investigating the fundamental biophysical principles of biofilm assembly (https://sites.wustl.edu/reichhardt/)

Prof. Timothy Wencewicz - Antibiotics from synthesis to resistance (https://sites.wustl.edu/wencewiczlab/)

Prof. Hani Zaher - Ribosomes:  translational fidelity and its impact on cellular fitness and codon evolution (https://sites.wustl.edu/zaherlab/)

Plants & Microbes

Prof. Kevin Cox - Genetics, bioimaging, and plant pathology to understand how plants defend themselves against microbes (https://www.thecoxlab.org/)

Prof. Joseph Jez - Structural biology and biochemistry of plant and microbial metabolism (https://sites.wustl.edu/jezlab/)

Prof. Barbara Kunkel - Plant-pathogen interactions (https://sites.wustl.edu/kunkellab/)

Prof. Ben Mansfeld - Understanding of plant‑microbe interactions, optimize plant defense strategies, and providing direct, translatable implications for sustainable agriculture in a changing climate (https://www.benmansfeldlab.com)/

Prof. Himadri Pakrasi - Bioenergy production in cyanobacteria - photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and synthetic biology (https://sites.wustl.edu/photosynthbio/)

Prof. Rachel Penczykowski - Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases with a focus on wild populations of herbaceous plants and their powdery mildew pathogens (https://penczykowskilab.com/

Financial Support

Stipends, travel expenses, and room & board are provided.

Stipend:  $7000 for the 10-week session

Room and board:  Apartment-style accommodations on campus and $200 per week food allowance

Travel expenses:  Round-trip air travel will be provided to participants who do not live within driving distance of the program

Application

All applications should use the online NSF-ETAP portal Click here to apply.  Deadline: 14 February 2026.

Applications should complete required NSF-ETAP information and upload the following:

Personal statement:  describe your interest in science & research, your educational and career goals, and how this REU program fits those goals.  Include any laboratory skills, research experience, awards, honors or extracurricular activities you would like us to know about.

CV/resume:  this provides a formal listing of your education, experience, and actvities for reviewers.

Transcript:  a downloaded or scanned pdf is acceptable - be sure to have the pdf before completing the application.

Letters of reference:  Two letters from faculty who can comment on your preparation for the program.

Applicants will also be asked to enter the names of 5 program faculty with research that interests you in ETAP.  Please use the faculty above.