SSRP in situ
SSRP in situ 2026: Program at a Glance
- Monday, June 22* – Thursday, August 6, 2026 (*Students who are available prior to 6/22 may start early depending on mentor availability)
- Requires full-time attendance — approximately 35 hours per week during normal business hours
- Only SSRP alumni are eligible to participate
- Students must commit to attending the entire program. There are no exceptions to these rules.
Program Overview
SSRP in situ offers SSRP alumni the opportunity to apprentice in a Rockefeller laboratory under the mentorship of a graduate student or a postdoc. Returning SSRP students apply the skills they learned during the previous summer to contribute to an ongoing research project. As an apprentice in a laboratory, students will experience how a biomedical research group operates — in addition to conducting research, they will participate in lab meetings, attend scientific lectures, work with various core facilities, and be guided toward independence in the lab.
SSRP in situ scholars will also be supported by RockEDU through a weekly cohort meeting, professional development sessions, workshops, one-on-one progress check-in meetings, and other activities. All SSRP in Situ scholars will be expected to create a final poster showcasing their work that will be presented at the annual Celebrating Science Poster Session on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
How to enroll
Committed SSRP alumni should register through our official online application system. Only students who have participated in past SSRP cohorts are eligible to apply. All applications must be submitted by Monday, February 2 at 5pm EST. No late applications will be accepted.
Applications will be reviewed by the RockEDU team and successful applicants will be invited for a virtual interview to discuss their interest, goals, and expectations for the summer. All applicants selected for admission must confirm their participation in the program by Monday, March 16 2026. No late commitments or applications will be accepted.
In order to participate, returning students must commit to the entirety of the seven-week(+) program — we can not accommodate attendance gaps.
The link for this will be available in mid October, 2025. Stay tuned.
SSRP in-situ alumni labs and projects
Rice Laboratory. Establishing the RNA Launch for DHBV and WHV
Funabiki Laboratory. Regulation of human cGAS DNA length & flexibility requirements
Darnell Laboratory. The Role of DNA Damage in Osteoarthritis Joint Pain
Steller Laboratory. AAV9-mediated Delivery of PI31 to Skeletal Stem Cells
Friedman Laboratory. Utilizing Single Cell Analysis to Map Transcriptome of Aging Mouse Hypothalamus
Friedman Laboratory. Lateral Hypothalamus TRH and VGAT Neurons Drive Feeding, Drinking, and Digging in Mice
Shyer-Rodrigues Laboratory. Ovarian Cancer Co-Cultures: Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis and NMU-Driven Changes in ECM Organization