Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)
Our newly developed postbaccalaureate research education program (PREP), funded by the NIGMS, provides research experience in cancer, neuroscience, genomics, quantitative biology and plant biology, together with extensive, multi-tiered mentoring, coursework, and professional and skills development workshops for students interested in pursuing Ph.D. degrees in the biosciences. The goal of CSHL PREP is to prepare its Scholars for matriculation into and success in rigorous doctoral graduate programs.
CSHL PREP provides:
- Laboratory research experience
- Professional and skills development workshops
- Participation in graduate level courses
- Extensive mentoring by CSHL faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students through monthly and quarterly meetings
- Networking with attendees of the CSHL Meetings & Courses Program
- Preparation for graduate program applications
- A supportive scientific community on the north shore of Long Island approximately 35 miles away from New York City
Program Coordinator: Alyson Kass-Eisler, kasseisl@cshl.edu
Program Director: Monn Monn Myat, myat@cshl.edu
For information contact PREP@cshl.edu
2025 applications are now open!

Skills Development Course: This course will focus on developing skills, such as speaking, writing and critical thinking, and inform PREP Scholars of the various careers in the biomedical science workforce.
PREP Bootcamp Course: This course will provide PREP Scholars with basic concepts and methods in multiple disciplines in biology, including quantitative approaches, and prepare them well for critical reading of published literature.
Specialized Disciplines Course: PREP Scholars may participate in one of the four modules of this graduate level course. The four modules are Genetics, Cancer, Systems Neuroscience, and Quantitative Biology. Each module will focus on key research areas in depth, and emphasize the understanding of experimental approaches and practical applications. View PDF
- Florin Albeanu
- Katherine Alexander
- Corina Amor Vegas
- Arka Banerjee
- Semir Beyaz
- Jeremy Borniger
- Lucas Cheadle
- Camila dos Santos
- Chris Hammell
- Helen Hou
- David Jackson
- Tobias Janowitz
- Leemor Joshua-Tor
- Justin Kinney
- David Klindt
- Peter Koo
- Adrian Krainer
- Zach Lippman
- Michael Lukey
- David McCandlish
- Hannah Meyer
- Alea Mills
- Mitra Javadzadeh No
- Gabrielle Pouchelon
- Andrea Schorn
- Stephen Shea
- Bruce Stillman
- Jessica Tollkuhn
- Nick Tonks
- Lloyd Trotman
- David Tuveson
- Chris Vakoc
- Linda Van Aelst
- Doreen Ware
- Peter Westcott
- Lingbo Zhang
Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible for CSHL PREP. Applicants should have received a baccalaureate degree in a biomedically relevant discipline no more than 36 months prior to the start of the program, and must not be concurrently enrolled in a degree program. Applicants must apply to PhD or MD-PhD degree granting programs during or immediately following PREP. We particularly encourage individuals from under resourced and underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
To apply, please provide:
- Transcripts of each undergraduate institution attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- A one-page personal statement – 600 words or 3250 characters (including spaces), and single spaced – describing yourself, your previous research experience, your reasons for pursuing a postbaccalaureate experience, what you expect to gain from the experience, and what your career aspirations are.
- An optional supplemental statement of 200 words or less describing any adversities or barriers you may have faced, personally or in your educational pursuits.
The application deadline is February 15.
After initial virtual interviews, select candidates will be invited for on-site visits in March/April to meet potential research mentors.
- $30,000 salary
- Access to full health, dental and vision benefits
- Affordable on-campus housing
- Dedicated laptop computer
- Travel allowance and relocation costs
We are very proud of our alumni who have matriculated into the following graduate programs.
2023
PREP Scholar | CSHL Research Lab | Graduate School |
---|---|---|
Theresa Clark | David Jackson | University of Pennsylvania |
Daniel DiMartino | Lucas Cheadle | Harvard University |
Pretty Garcia | Peter Koo | Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Computational Biology and Medicine |
Melissa Lozada | Camila dos Santos | Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
Germaine Smart-Marshall | Semir Beyaz | Princeton University |