SPARQ Program

A student presenter stands beside a large display screen showing research charts and text, speaking to an audience in a modern indoor meeting space.SPARQ provides undergraduate students with a paid summer research opportunity to engage in pain and neurologic health research under the mentorship of experienced researchers and principal investigators at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Washington. SPARQ is sponsored by Seattle Children’s Research Institute and funded by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Please see the Application Guidelines page for more information on eligibility and to apply.

The Summer 2026 program will run from June 15 through August 14, 2026.

Program Components

This is a full-time, 40 hours/week opportunity. 

Students will be expected to attend in-person activities and events. Students will be responsible for their own travel arrangements.

  • Mentored research projects: Students will be matched with a faculty mentor from Seattle Children’s Research Institute or the University of Washington in a research area of their choice. They will work directly with their mentor to complete a research project under their guidance for the full nine weeks of the program, with options to continue during the academic year. Research areas include:  
    • Clinical pain outcomes and epidemiology
    • Basic and translational neurosciences
    • Pediatric pain research
    • Translational pain research
    • Community health research in pain and neurologic health
  • Seminars: Students will attend a weekly SPARQ seminar, along with lab meetings and seminars with their matched faculty mentor’s research center, specific to the research topics they are studying. SPARQ program seminar topics cover topics like:  
    • Content-specific topics in pain and neurologic health
    • Increasing trustworthiness in research
    • Practical skills-building topics to advance research knowledge
  • Journal club: To model best research practices, students will engage in four journal clubs to discuss articles that use research frameworks that contextualize biological, intrapersonal and social factors that influence neurologic health and pain.
  • Clinical shadowing: Students will have the option to participate in up to three clinical shadowing days at Seattle Children’s Hospital or the University of Washington in a field relevant to their research project (e.g., observing in the pain clinic, intensive care unit or operating room).
  • Career panel: Students will have the opportunity to engage with a career panel, which will consist of postdocs and scientists from both academic and industry settings. These panelists will provide perspectives on their work and career paths.
  • Research Symposium: At the end of the summer program, students will participate in an interactive poster session and research symposium where they will present their results to the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington community.

Compensation

Students will receive a $7,100 stipend and an ORCA card for Seattle-area public transportation to use during the internship period.

How to Become a SPARQ Student

Students who are interested in applying to the program should first review eligibility criteria, expectations and available supports on the Application Guidelines page. Applications for Summer 2026 will be open from December 30, 2025, through January 28, 2026. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the program or eligibility, please email Sophia Mun.

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