Research Experiences for Undergraduates at DSU
HBCU REU: Molecular and Cellular Biology Internship Opportunity Summer 2025
The Delaware State University REU Program is now accepting applications for Summer 2025. Support, housing, and a competitive stipend for a 10-week internship in a research laboratory on the DSU campus will be provided. Click here or scan below to apply!
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program Description
The proposed project will focus on specifically recruiting students from Delaware State University (DSU) and partnering Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to participate in an undergraduate summer research internship and mentoring program. Through this collaborative initiative, a diverse cohort of students will be recruited to engage in a 10-week program of high-impact research at DSU in the extensive and wide-ranging arena of cellular and molecular biology.
Students will develop science communication skills through writing and presentation activities and workshops, network with faculty and peers, and, most importantly, develop lasting relationships within the scientific community. Students are expected to take part in program activities and research training seminars held during the internship. They are also expected to stay and fully reside on the DSU campus and present a poster at the DSU Summer Research Symposium.
Program details
- Students are expected to take part in program activities and research training seminars held during the internship (May 27 to August 1, 2025)
- Students are expected to stay and fully reside on campus
- Students will be expected to present a poster at the DSU Summer Research Symposium 10-week summer program
- Housing and stipend provided
Application Requirements
- Applicants should be an undergraduate STEM major and have completed at least 25 credits of college course work including one introductory science course
- Students from DSU and partnering HBCU institutions should complete the program application (open now) before the deadline of March 31, 2025
- Students will need to submit 1 letter of recommendation from a faculty member
- Students under consideration will participate in a virtual interview
The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025. Click here to apply now!
Applications will be reviewed monthly.
For additional information or questions, please contact Dr. Hakeem Lawal (hlawal [at] desu.edu) or Dr. Erin Perchiniak (eperchiniak [at] desu.edu)
REU Affiliated Researchers
Participants will be paired in a DSU research laboratory to conduct their 10-week internship. A wide range of research topics are available to choose from including neuroscience, cancer research, microbiology, and computational biology. Some options are listed in the table below:
| Faculty Mentor | Affiliation/Department | Research Focus | |
| 1 | Y. Hwan Kim | Biological Sciences | Neuropathology of PD/Therapeutics |
| 2 | Michael Gitcho | Biological Sciences | Alzheimer’s Disease pathology |
| 3 | Hakeem Lawal | Biological Sciences | Cholinergic synaptic transmission |
| 4 | Karl Miletti | Biological Sciences | Cancer Biology |
| 5 | Rosaria Formisano | DIST Fellow/Biology | Regulation of dopamine homeostasis in C. elegans |
| 6 | Sokratis Makrogiannis | Physical & Computational Sciences | Biomedical and Biological Imaging |
| 7 | Hacene Boukari | Physical & Computational Sciences | Investigate interaction biological and non-biological nanoparticles using optics and machine learning |
| 8 | Jung-lim Lee | Food Science | Microbiome and bacteriophage in food, products and the environment |
| 9 | Gulni Ozbay | Agricultural & Natural Sciences | Habitat restoration, aquatic ecology, water resources |
| 10 | Anthea Aikins | Biological Sciences | Yeast/bacterial genetics and molecular biology |
| 11 | Kevin Shuman | Biological Sciences | Microbial Ecology |
| 12 | Erin Perchiniak | Biological Sciences | Genetic Changes that lead to Altered Apoptosis |
| 13 | Melissa Harrington | DIST Director | Spinal Muscular Atrophy research, electrophysiology |
Inaugural 2024 NSF-REU COHORT Summer Recap
The inaugural cohort for the HBCU REU program at DSU, which ran from May through July this past summer, was a great success!
- 10 amazing students were at DSU for 10 weeks on a research-intensive paid internship. A competitive group, they joined us from 6 HBCU partners, including Spelman, Tuskegee, Bethune-Cookman, Cheyney, Lincoln, and DSU.
- Students were paired with faculty mentors to study the broad arena of cellular and molecular biology, which allowed students to explore topics in neuroscience, cancer biology, microbiology, data science, biochemistry, and agriculture based on their personal interests – plus lots of professional development!
- Students also led exciting sessions featuring historical figures from minority backgrounds that contributed to science, but who were often marginalized and overlooked.
- Interns took part in a field trip to Philadelphia to visit the Mutter Museum and the Franklin Institute.
- At the twilight of the program, all students presented their research during a poster symposium for all summer-related internships held at DSU.
We were thrilled to have such a wonderful group of students join us for a science-filled summer, and we are already looking forward for next summer! Plus, they told us that they had a blast!
- Dr. Erin Perchiniak & Dr. Hakeem Lawal, Oct. 2024
REU Highlights
