Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy
2026 Program Dates: June 6 – August 14
Opportunities for undergrads to conduct cutting-edge astrophysical research with world-renowned professional astronomers
REU participants must be undergraduate students as well as United States citizens or permanent residents during their participation in the program.
The Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) is offering research internships for the summer of 2026. Internships are funded through NASA and NSF grants to individual faculty members and the NSF REU program. The IfA REU program will provide undergraduates who are considering a career in science with the opportunity to work with astronomers at the IfA who conduct cutting-edge research in a wide range of astrophysical disciplines and in the development of new telescopes, instruments, and adaptive optics. The IfA research web site presents a comprehensive list of these projects.
In addition to carrying out their research at the IfA headquarters in Mānoa on the island of Oʻahu, REU students may participate in observing runs on one of the telescopes at the Maunakea (Hawaiʻi Island) or Haleakalā (Maui) observatories. There are daily journal clubs, weekly seminars, and colloquia, given by faculty and visiting scientists, luncheons with graduate students, education and public outreach activities, and several social events and excursions in which REU students can participate. The program includes a 5-day trip to Hilo, on the island of Hawaiʻi, with an excursion to Maunakea, outreach programs, and cultural education and Polynesian voyaging training from the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center.
The 2026 REU will run for 10 weeks: June 6 through August 14. Students will receive a weekly stipend of $700 to cover meals, incidentals, and other costs. The cost of travel to and from Hawaiʻi, accommodation, and two meals per day, are provided for all students. Financial support is available for REU students to present their research at a professional conference such as the annual meetings of the American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Sciences, American Geophysical Union, The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists, AAAS Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference or other related national conferences.