Applications Open for 2026 Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship

Applications are now open for the 2026 Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship Program (CASSI), a 10-week paid research and educational opportunity at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. The program runs June 15 through Aug. 21, 2026, and offers undergraduate students $7,000 in compensation plus housing.

“CASSI interns will receive $7,000 for their 10-week internship and be provided housing,” the program announcement states. Applications are due on January 31.

Eligibility extends to students enrolled at colleges and universities in California, as well as current or former California residents studying elsewhere. International students attending California institutions are eligible, along with DACA and AB540 students.

International students not currently studying in the United States are not eligible.

Interns will join Carnegie astronomers and engineers in Pasadena to conduct original research on topics including “the first galaxies in the universe, accreting black holes, dark matter, exoplanets, and the life and death of stars.” Students may also work on engineering projects to improve telescope instrumentation. CASSI interns are paired with broader mentoring teams to help support their development during their time at Carnegie and beyond.

Professional development is a central feature of the program. Interns begin with a coding boot camp and participate in more than 60 activities designed to strengthen scientific communication and computing skills. Weekly oral presentations, poster workshops, and writing sessions culminate in a symposium where students present their findings to the Observatories community. Upon completion, all students are invited to attend the American Astronomical Society meeting the following January to present their research.

The program spotlights diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups in science. “One of the goals of CASSI is to increase participation and retention of under-represented groups in astronomy,” the program notes. Interns also engage in outreach, including an annual program with Upward Bound high school students. With program support, students build a strong intern community with lasting bonds that extend well beyond the summer, and they are immersed in the life of the larger academic community.

Since 2019, CASSI participants have earned seven Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Awards and seven honorable mentions. The program also reports six NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellows and three honorable mentions, one Churchill Scholar, and one Fulbright Scholar. Alumni outcomes include graduate study in astronomy and related fields, as well as careers in technology, engineering, and science communication. Forty-eight percent of alumni who have completed their undergraduate programs have gone on to graduate or professional schools in astronomy or other fields.

CASSI is directed by Gwen Rudie, a Carnegie staff scientist specializing in observational studies of distant galaxies and the circumgalactic medium. “Director of the CASSI Program, Gwen Rudie, is a Staff Scientist at Carnegie who specializes in observational studies of distant galaxies and the diffuse gas which surrounds them, called the circumgalactic medium,” the program description states. She is also a Project Scientist for the Magellan Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph (MIRMOS), a near-infrared multi-object spectrograph and integral field unit to be deployed at the Magellan 6.5-meter telescopes at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Rudie is deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, leading multiple programs at the Observatories.

For more information, contact Gwen Rudie at gwen@carnegiescience.edu.