2026 Research Assistant Positions - Salata Summer Undergraduate Research Funding Program
Jan 12, 2026
The following research assistant (RA) positions are available for undergraduate students during Summer 2025. Interested students should review the program qualifications and application instructions on the Summer Research Funding Program webpage.
Climate Change, War, and Health in the Next 50-100 Years
- Faculty Host: Ann-Christine Duhaime (HMS)
- Department/Area: Neurosurgery, MGH Center for the Environment and Health/Healthcare
- Project Description: This is an interdisciplinary project studying the long-term intersecting effects of war and climate change on health and well-being over intergenerational timeframes. The project consists of three parts
- A series of scoping reviews to assess what work has been done in this intersection
- A series of case studies in 6 current or recent war zones using health data, satellite and meteorologic data, and on-the-ground interviews to assess whether these effects on health and well-being are synergistic; and
- A film project, “Choose Your Future”, to document the science but also to demonstrate what a future guided by better choices today in the domains of climate change and war could look like.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Students can get involved in the remaining scoping review projects (systematic literature reviews, data synthesis, and manuscript preparation), case studies (currently working on Ukraine, with other sites in planning), and possibly on background preparation for the film project. Students would be expected to participate in monthly whole-group meetings and in smaller meetings of task-oriented groups for the scoping reviews and case studies.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Independent research: Ability to work independently with guidance and regular supervision.
- Interdisciplinary background: Openness to learning across disciplines; familiarity with medical terminology is helpful but not required.
- Literature review skills: Experience with systematic reviews and tools such as Covidence is beneficial but can be learned.
- Data analysis: Experience with satellite data and publicly available meteorological datasets is an asset.
- Qualitative methods: Interest or experience in anthropologically informed qualitative interview techniques.
- Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with diverse, interdisciplinary teams in virtual or hybrid settings.
Directly Light-Triggered Concentration of CO2 and SO2 by Organic Photobases
- Faculty Host: Richard Liu (FAS)
- Department/Area: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Project Description: We have recently developed a class of simple “molecular switches” that use visible light to power large and reversible swings in pH. These compounds can be used to capture CO2, SO2, or NOx from the atmosphere and release the gases on demand. This project focuses on further development of the chemistry and applications to new problems in separations science. This is a project at the intersection of organic synthesis, physical organic chemistry, and engineering. The main goals of this summer project include the synthesis of new photobase structures to achieve enhanced water solubility, larger pH swings, higher photostability, higher oxygen stability, and/or selectivity for new target compounds. Scale-up of the compounds and demonstration of capture on gram to kilogram scale will be an important goal.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: The team member will play an integral part on this collaborative project by synthesizing new analogues, measuring photophysical and chemical properties, and incorporating the optimized molecule(s) into prototype devices. The candidate can expect to learn skills in organic synthesis and purification, photochemistry, spectroscopy, and density-functional theory calculations. Undergraduates in our lab are full members of the group encouraged to present in subgroup and group meetings, as well as participating in all stages of the research/publication process.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Chemistry background: Completion of Chem 17/27 or Chem 20/30.
- Laboratory experience: Prior organic synthesis experience preferred but not required.
Air Pollution, Climate Change and Health Impacts: Solutions- Oriented Exposure Science
- Faculty Host: Mary Rice (T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
- Department/Area: Environmental Health Sciences
- Project Description: Outdoor air pollution drives climate change and causes major health risks, including heart and lung diseases. For example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable and deadly disease that affects 15% of adults over 40 years of age in the United States and is made worse by exposure to air pollution. This RA position will be involved in two major research studies that investigate how real‑world air pollutants impact disease pathways and explore how best to identify climate mitigation strategies and actionable evidence. Led by Dr. Mary Rice, a pulmonary critical care physician, this research addresses the urgent need to quantify dose‑response relationships for real‑world air pollution exposures and their biological effects, helping identify critical thresholds for harm. The RA will also analyze data related to Dr. Rice’s randomized control trial—the “gold standard” for testing interventions—to test whether high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers improve symptoms and lung function in people with eosinophilic COPD.
- Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Data Collection & Exposure Science: Support chemical characterization of air samples from diverse sources.
- Documentation & Reporting: Help maintain accurate lab records and data logs. Prepare summaries and visualizations for internal reports and publications.
- Collaboration: This student will have the opportunity to participate in research meetings with physician researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and data scientists.
- Skills & Competencies: Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a research environment.
Environmental Economics and Policy
- Faculty Host: Robert Stavins (Harvard Kennedy School)
- Department/Area: Energy and Economic Development
- Project Description: Guided Independent Research. For this summer of research, the student proposes a topic, which applies economic thinking and economic analysis to a policy problem in the realm of environmental, energy, or natural resources.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Working with Professor Robert Stavins (Harvard Kennedy School), the student researcher will refine the topic to one that is interesting, feasible, and falls within the scope of environmental economics. Next the student researcher will develop—with guidance from Professor Stavins—an outline of the paper the student will eventually write, and then a work plan of steps to be taken from the beginning to the end of the project, including the key sources of information. After that, the student researcher will meet approximately once per week with Professor Stavins in person and/or in remote sessions until the paper is completed.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Economics Background: The best applicants will have studied basic environmental economics, such as in Economics 1661, but that is not a prerequisite.
Global Climate Change and Global Migration
- Faculty Host: Ishan Nath (Harvard Kennedy School)
- Department/Area: International Trade, Macroeconomics, Development
- Project Description: This project seeks to produce systematic estimates of the long-run impact of climate change on global migration by combining recent advances in econometric methods and dynamic spatial equilibrium models with the most comprehensive dataset of subnational and cross-country migration flows ever assembled. The economics literature on the impacts of climate change on global migration has thus far fallen short of producing a clear set of conclusive takeaways. Existing studies vary widely in their methods, often focus on a specific location or type of migration, and have generally used empirical estimates and quantitative models in isolation from each other rather than integrating empirics with theory. This project seeks to produce systematic estimates of the long-run impact of climate change on global migration by combining recent advances in econometric methods and dynamic spatial equilibrium models with a globally comprehensive dataset of subnational and cross-country migration flows. The data will be assembled from 105 distinct data sources across countries covering nearly 90% of the global population, including many previously understudied low-income regions, and will hopefully enable a more complete picture of the drivers and patterns of global migration than has been possible in existing work.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Participants in the summer internship will help collect, harmonize, and manage data from censuses, administrative datasets, and household surveys, learn about econometric tools used to analyze this data, and help survey the literature on global climate change and migration.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Programming background: Familiarity with quantitative programming (e.g., Stata, R, or Python); project-specific languages can be learned on the job.
- Quantitative training: Coursework in econometrics or statistics is beneficial.
- Subject interest: Strong interest in economics, development, and climate change.
- Collaboration: Ability to work effectively as part of a large, collaborative team.
Upcycling Wool Ecologies
- Faculty Host: Jonathan Grinham (Graduate School of Design)
- Department/Area: Architecture
- Project Description: How do you scale a novel biomaterial from the bench to building scale? What are the non-negotiable critical specifications for industry adoption? What efficiencies can be gained when scaling a product? What unique challenges to biomaterials present when scaling? The Grinham Research Group is further developing its keratin-based bio-composite, made from upcycled waste wool. The novel bio-composite is intended for use as a retrofit-fittable building cladding system. New team members will collaborate with industry and academic partners to develop techniques for scaling processes and formulations from the benchtop to pre-commercial products.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: literature reviews, lab support – chemical processing, prototyping, and fabrication
- Skills & Competencies: Lab techniques, computational modeling, and fabrication (Reef and ALL)
Toward a Universal Spectroscopy Model for Predicting Leaf Chemistry and Structure
- Faculty Host: Jeannine Cavender-Bares (Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
- Department/Area: Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Plant Ecology & Biodiversity
- Project Description: The project aims to develop a universal spectroscopy model capable of predicting leaf chemical and structural traits from reflectance spectra across species, biomes, instruments, and plant conditions. By integrating spectral and trait data from herbaria, arboreta, field collections, and global databases, the project aims to overcome a long-standing challenge in plant trait predictions using spectroscopy. The RA will contribute to building a next-generation, scalable framework that enables consistent trait estimation across the world’s plant diversity. Core research question:
- Can we build a predictive model that generalizes across species, tissue conditions (fresh vrs. preserved levels), and instruments to estimate key leaf traits (e.g., LMA, nitrogen, cellulose, lignin)?
- What AI, machine learning, and signal processing techniques most effectively capture trait-relevant information across scales?
- How can this universal model enable new applications in ecology, evolution, herbarium science, remote sensing, and biodiversity monitoring?
- Tasks & Responsibilities: The RA will
- Help collect and harmonize spectral and trait datasets from herbaria, arboreta, and databases,
- Assist in developing AI models for trait prediction, and
- Assist in the implementation of computational pipelines to evaluate cross-instrument transferability, cross-species generalization, and biome-level model robustness.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Interest in plant biology, ecology, remote sensing, or spectroscopy.
- Attention to detail and willingness to learn chemistry and spectroscopy techniques.
- Experience with R or Python programming is preferred.
A Liquid Building Wrapping Capable of Dynamically Sending Heat to Outer Space
- Faculty Host: Joanna Aizenberg (John A. Paulson School of Science Engineering and Applied Sciences)
- Department/Area: Materials Sciences & Mechanical Engineering
- Project Description: An emerging class of ‘radiatively-cooling’ materials are capable of sending unwanted heat (via thermal radiation) into outer space. The ability to combine this incredible feature with the capacity to manipulate sunlight would open new pathways to curating interior climates exclusively using environmental radiation – largely eliminating the need for the heating, cooling, and lighting systems that drive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions globally. To achieve this possible breakthrough in energy efficiency and sustainability, this project will look to an entirely new class of material – fluids – for developing a single platform capable of controlling sunlight and radiative cooling simultaneously. The core objectives of the research project will be to develop, build, and test a state-of-the-art, liquid-based building skin for controlling environmental radiation, capable of reducing indoor heating/cooling/lighting energy/emission.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Laboratory work under the guidance of a PhD candidate, data analysis, paper-writing.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Background: Engineering background (mechanical, electrical, environmental, civil, computer, bio, or related), with prior lab or design project experience.
- Technical skills: Experience with fabrication tools (e.g., CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting, machine shop) preferred; basic knowledge of heat transfer, electronics, or materials is a plus.
- Motivation: Highly motivated to develop sustainable technologies and eager to learn new experimental fabrication and measurement techniques.
Are Heat Wave Warning Systems Getting Better Over Time?
- Faculty Host: David Jones (Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
- Department/Area: History of Science, Global Health and Social Medicine (HMS)
- Project Description: After a series of alarming heat waves in the 1960s and 1980s, many cities designed “heat action plans” to protect their populations from heat waves. An important aspect of this has been issuing warnings and advice through the media before heat waves strike. Has this actually been happening? The core objectives of the research project will be to:
- Compile a list of major urban heat waves since the 1980s.
- Create a database of newspaper articles published in the lead-up to heat waves.
- Analyze the frequency of anticipatory coverage of heat waves to see if cities have successfully improved their public health messaging and warning systems.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Part 1 involves working with National Weather Service data sets to determine the most significant heat waves that have struck US cities since 1980. Part 2 involves searching online collections of digitized newspapers for articles about heat waves. Part 3 involves analyses of the datasets from Part 1 and Part 2 in search of trends over time.
If the findings are notable, then we will work towards producing a publishable article. This project will be done in collaboration with Jane Baldwin, an atmospheric scientist at UC Irvine with expertise on heat waves (and a Harvard college alumna). - Skills & Competencies:
- Programming: Python proficiency required for web and data scraping of meteorological and media datasets. (e.g., you should be able to understand and work with a python library life this one: https://hdp.readthedocs.io/en/latest/).
- Independent work: Self-motivated and able to work independently with regular faculty meetings (1–2 times per week).
Glacial Cycle Induced Sea Level Changes and Submarine Volcanism
- Faculty Host: Charles Langmuir (Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
- Department/Area: Earth & Planetary Sciences, Geochemistry
- Project Description: How do glacial–interglacial sea-level changes influence volcanic activity at mid-ocean ridges? Does mid-ocean ridge volcanism show periodic variations that correspond to 100 kyr and 40 kyr glacial cycles? We will construct the first continuous, million-year geochemical time series of ocean-ridge magmatism to investigate these questions. Glacial cycles drive global sea level changes that reshape Earth’s surface environment, but their influence on deep Earth processes remains poorly understood. There is a hypothesis that the glacial cycle–induced sea level fluctuations modulate mid-ocean ridge volcanism by affecting magma production and composition. Using basaltic glass preserved in sediment cores beneath the sea floor, this project reconstructs a million-year time series of ridge volcanism to test how climate-driven sea-level change couples Earth’s surface environment to the solid Earth.
- Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Laboratory support: Assist with sample preparation and lab workflows.
- Sample selection and analysis: Identify, hand-pick, and analyze volcanic glass shards from sediment samples.
- Data analysis: Process and interpret analytical results.
- Scholarly engagement: Participate in paper discussions and contribute to interpretation of findings.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Attention to detail: Patience and care in sample processing and laboratory work.
- Academic background: Undergraduate training in geology or a related Earth science field.
- Subject interest: Strong interest in Earth science, volcanism, and sedimentary processes
Grid Flexibility from Energy Storage: Optimization in Real-Scale Power Systems
- Faculty Host: Le Xie (John A. Paulson School of Science Engineering and Applied Sciences)
- Department/Area: Electrical Engineering
- Project Description: Rapid growth in solar and other variable renewable resources is intensifying ramping challenges and operational risks in power systems. This project examines how energy storage and market design can enhance grid flexibility and reliability under high renewable penetration. Using realistic MISO test cases, the analysis evaluates how storage characteristics—such as capacity, power rating, state-of-charge constraints, and penetration—affect operational security under Look-Ahead Dispatch and Ramp Product frameworks. The project also compares price behavior across these designs to assess implications for market efficiency and incentives for storage and other flexible resources. The results provide actionable recommendations for grid operators and market designers to maintain reliability and efficiency as renewable penetration, particularly solar, continues to increase.
- Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Literature and market review: Synthesize prior work on renewable-driven ramping challenges, storage operations, and real-time market design.
- Modeling and scenario design: Support development of a Python-based optimization model and design system scenarios (e.g., high-solar ramps, varying storage penetration, look-ahead horizons).
- Analysis and visualization: Analyze simulation outputs and produce clear visualizations of reliability metrics and price outcomes.
- Operational–economic interpretation: Link dispatch and reliability results to price formation and incentives for generators and storage.
- Documentation and dissemination: Contribute to technical papers and presentations for academic and industry audiences.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Quantitative skills: Working knowledge of statistics and mathematical optimization.
- Programming: Python proficiency; experience analyzing structured datasets.
- Technical communication: Ability to write clear summaries for mixed engineering and economics audiences.
- Domain interest: Strong interest in electricity markets, power system operations, energy storage, and renewable integration.
Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) Development and Applications
- Faculty Host: Daniel Jacob (John A. Paulson School of Science Engineering and Applied Sciences)
- Department/Area: Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group
- Project Description: This project uses the open-source, cloud-based Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) framework developed by the Jacob group to quantify global methane emissions through inversion of satellite observations. The research involves developing new capabilities within the IMI system and applying the framework to targeted scientific questions. The primary objective is to quantify methane emissions and assess their spatial and temporal trends across different regions of the world using satellite data.
- Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Software development: High-level coding in Python and Fortran to extend IMI capabilities.
- Cloud computing: Manage and run workflows on AWS-based infrastructure.
- Data analysis: Analyze satellite and inversion outputs to quantify methane emissions and trends.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Coding
- Computational skills
Emerging Issues in Climate, Energy and Security Geopolitics
- Faculty Sponsor: Henry Lee (Harvard Kennedy School)
- Department/Area: Belfer Center, Environment and Natural Resources Program, Arctic Initiative
- Project Description: The ENRP-Arctic Initiative programs at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center welcome applications from Harvard undergraduates interested in conducting research related to topics including the geopolitics of the Arctic region; global climate leadership; financing the clean energy transition in developing countries; the intersection of AI and energy infrastructure; public/private partnerships dedicated to sustainability and the environment; or energy policymaking.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: After discussing specific interests with ENRP/Arctic research staff and determining program needs, the student researcher will develop a work plan of steps to be taken from the beginning to the end of the project, including the key sources of information. The student will meet with ENRP/Arctic research staff regularly until the project is completed.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Some previous research experience is preferred
- Strong interest in climate change, international energy economics and geopolitics is required
Impact of Greenland Melt on the Ocean
- Faculty Sponsor: Fiammetta Straneo (SEAS; FAS)
- Department/Area: Environmental Science & Engineering; Earth & Planetary Science
- Project Description: This summer research assistant position focuses on understanding how increasing meltwater discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet enters the ocean, is transported through fjords, and mixes with seawater on the continental shelves. Because these processes are poorly resolved in existing models, the project emphasizes observational approaches to identify the leading-order dynamics controlling freshwater pathways and mixing rates. The research assistant will help track Greenland meltwater from glacial inputs at the heads of fjords, through fjord systems, and onto the surrounding shelves, contributing to improved understanding of ice–ocean interactions and their implications for ocean circulation and climate.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: The student research assistant will help with data analysis, literature reviews and possibly developing improved observing systems either in situ or from remote sensing.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Programming experience
- Engineering experience (EE, MEC, ESE)
Climate Change and Indoor Transmission Risks of Airborne Infectious Diseases
- Faculty Sponsor: Joseph Allen (T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
- Department/Area: Environmental Health
- Project Description: This summer research assistant position focuses on how climate change–related factors such as temperature, humidity, and extreme weather influence the indoor transmission risk of airborne infectious diseases, including influenza, COVID-19, tuberculosis, the common cold, and measles. The project uses mathematical and epidemiological approaches to examine how climate-sensitive variables interact with building characteristics, such as ventilation and filtration, across a range of indoor environments, including homes, workplaces, hospitals, schools, and long-term care facilities. The research assistant will contribute to analyzing models and existing epidemiological data to quantify and compare how changing climate conditions may modify indoor infection risks across different building types.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: The research assistant will conduct literature reviews on climate impacts on airborne disease transmission and on ventilation/indoor air quality across building types. They will also help organize, clean, and document relevant epidemiological, climate, and building-related datasets (if available).
- Skills & Competencies:
- Strong writing and editing skills for synthesizing scientific literature
- Literature review skills (ability to search, read, and summarize peer‑reviewed articles)
- Quantitative analysis skills (basic statistics and data handling)
- Data visualization skills (e.g., creating clear plots/figures in Excel, R, or Python)
- Attention to detail and good organization for managing references, data files, and documentation
- Interest in infectious diseases, climate change, or indoor air/health is strongly preferred
Emerging Environmental Issues in Food Waste Law & Policy
- Faculty Sponsor: Emily Broad Leib (Harvard Law School)
- Department/Area: Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Food Law and Policy Clinic
- Project Description: This summer research assistant position focuses on emerging environmental issues in food waste law and policy, with the goal of reducing food waste–related greenhouse gas emissions through prevention, recovery, and diversion. Working with the Food Law and Policy Clinic, the research assistant will support analysis of state, federal, and international food waste policies, including real-time tracking of legislative proposals and recently enacted laws. The project also involves literature review and policy research on critical topics such as the environmental impacts of automated food de-packaging on compost quality, PFAS contamination in food-scrap-based compost, and comparative analysis of food waste regulations (such as landfill bans and emissions reporting) across the United States and the European Union.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: The Research Assistant will monitor, analyze, and summarize legislative and policy developments related to food waste at the state, federal, and global levels. This includes reviewing proposed changes to laws on topics such as food date labeling, organic waste bans, and food donation, as well as contributing to comparative international policy analysis. The RA will conduct literature reviews and prepare clear research memos summarizing findings. The role also involves engaging with partners and other stakeholders, including food banks, businesses, and government agencies, to capture key questions, concerns, and best practices, and may include creating data visualizations to communicate policy tracking metrics.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Policy and legal research & analysis
- Clear written communication and synthesis
- Data analysis and visualization skills (preferred)
Manufacturing and Experimental Development of 3D Printed Porous Electrodes for Large Scale Energy Storage
- Faculty Sponsor: Michael Aziz (John A. Paulson School of Science Engineering and Applied Sciences)
- Department/Area: Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering
- Project Description: This summer research assistant position focuses on the manufacturing and experimental development of 3D-printed porous electrodes for large-scale energy storage using flow batteries. The project addresses key performance limitations—such as inefficient mass transport and incomplete wetting—by designing and fabricating electrodes with well-defined, tunable geometries that enable systematic study of transport and electrochemical processes. The research assistant will contribute to the fabrication, experimental testing, and analysis of 3D-printed porous electrodes, helping to identify design principles that improve active material utilization and advance high-performance, scalable energy storage technologies.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: A summer research assistant will design and 3D print electrodes, assemble them into custom electrochemical cells, and perform electrochemical battery cycling experiments.
- Skills & Competencies:
- Lab techniques
- Preferably (gloved) hand-on experience with wet chemistry.
The Impact of Climate Shocks on Urban Mobility
- Faculty Sponsor: Gabriel Kreindler (Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
- Department/Area: Economics
- Project Description: Come work with us to explore how large-scale digital mobility traces can reveal how climate change affects cities worldwide. How do climate shocks (e.g. extreme heat, extreme rainfall, storms, and flooding) affect how much and where people move within cities? This project focuses on the largest cities in developing countries, which are often highly exposed to such shocks. We use a global dataset of high-resolution mobility data collected from smartphones, which Harvard already has access to.
- Tasks & Responsibilities: Your job is to work with this smartphone location data to create mobility metrics and perform data quality and representativeness checks in a sample of cities worldwide. This involves moving and processing very large amounts of data on Harvard servers (~50-100TB compressed).
- Skills & Competencies: This position requires excellent computing and data skills, and is best suited for students with advanced coursework in computer science, statistics, economics, or other related fields.