Participants are from universities including the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, and New York University
From June to August, the 2026 ShanghaiTech Summer Lab for International Students brought undergraduate students from leading universities around the world to ShanghaiTech University for six to eight weeks of research and cultural exchange.
The students worked with ShanghaiTech faculty and researchers on a range of cutting-edge topics spanning biomedical engineering, life sciences, information science, and physical science. In biomedical engineering, students explored brain imaging, image-guided therapy, and neural signal analysis, gaining hands-on experience with emerging technologies for medical treatment. In life sciences, their projects examined biological changes in cell nuclei during organ development and regeneration, the cryo-electron microscopy analysis of macromolecular complexes of RNA viruses, and the structures of membrane proteins in liposomes. In information science, students worked with their mentors to explore ways to optimize and improve Transformer-based large language models. Others focused on investigating in situ methods for catalytic research.
Throughout the program, faculty members developed research plans tailored to each student and provided one-on-one guidance through laboratory work and other research activities.
For Jessica Gui, a student from Carnegie Mellon University, the program offered her an opportunity to gain firsthand experience in biomedical research. Working on image-guided therapy, she learned how this emerging field could contribute to the treatment of patients with glioma and other brain tumors. She also participated in laboratory experiments and data analysis.
A great experience interning and doing research at ShanghaiTech!
“I gained knowledge about image-guided therapy and how this novel, meaningful research topic can improve treatments for patients with glioma and other brain tumors. I was also able to participate in lab experiments and help perform data analysis. My mentors were all really nice and willing to answer my questions whenever I didn’t understand something. Every task I completed here was a meaningful learning experience for me!”
Jessica also found time to enjoy life on campus. “ShanghaiTech also has great food options. I really love the soup dumplings and the matcha latte!” she said. Her only regret, she added with a laugh, was not having the opportunity to play basketball and other sports with her mentors.
At the end of the program, all participants completed research reports and gave oral presentations on their work, receiving positive feedback from their mentors and lab groups.
Luca Zinzula, a researcher at the iHuman Institute, was also impressed by the students’ performance. “I have been very positive about the performance of the international visiting students. They worked together with our students on both wet-lab and computational experiments and integrated very well into the lab. Their presence also brought an international dimension to our research team and benefited our students, who experienced what it means to work in an international environment and had the opportunity to exchange knowledge with colleagues and lab partners from abroad while learning about different cultures.”
Students were enthusiastic, responsible, and disciplined in their work.
Beyond research, the Office of International Affairs (OIA) organized a series of cultural and educational activities to help the students explore Shanghai and connect with one another. At the beginning of the program, the students visited the Shanghai Chin Woo Athletic Association, a martial arts organization founded more than a century ago with values focused on building physical, mental, and spiritual strength while fostering patriotism, self-cultivation, and discipline. They learned about the history of Chinese martial arts and experienced its traditions and spirit first-hand.
The students also visited Zhujiajiao, a historic water town dating back about 900 years. Walking along its old streets, they experienced the tranquil atmosphere of its bridges, waterways, and traditional architecture. Together, the visits offered the students a glimpse of two contrasting aspects of Shanghai and Chinese culture—the strength and vitality of traditional martial arts and the quiet beauty of a Jiangnan water town.
International students at Zhujiajiao.
Professors from the Institute of Humanities also gave the students lectures featuring short stories and films about Shanghai. The OIA additionally organized a visit to Zhangjiang Model Power Community, an area designated for AI industrial applications, where the students gained a more immersive understanding of recent developments in AI applications.
For Jessica, these activities were also an important part of her experience at ShanghaiTech. As the only international visiting student in her research team, she appreciated the opportunity to meet other students from around the world through activities organized by the OIA.
“Since I was the only international visiting student in my team, trips and activities organized by the OIA allowed me to meet other students from across the globe. I learned about the research areas the other students were interested in. We also discussed the food and traditions of our hometowns, which gave us a chance to share our cultures.”
Since 2015, ShanghaiTech has provided summer research opportunities for international undergraduate students from partner universities abroad. The six- to eight-week program offers participants the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research. Over the years, students from leading universities, including Yale University, Cornell University, the University of Chicago, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford, and the University of Pennsylvania have participated in the program.