Student Programs

Graduate Student Internship Program
Frequently Asked Questions

How does an industrial internship benefit my career? What negative impact might it have?

An industrial internship can be very beneficial for your professional development. It can help you to clarify your professional goals by giving you experience in an industrial research environment, expose you to new areas of research, and give you a feeling for the process of bringing your research from the lab to the market. Don’t forget that companies often regard their interns as their primary pool for recruitment of staff scientists.
The drawback for doing an internship is that it will most likely delay your graduation. In some cases you can publish the work you do in a journal or in your dissertation, but this is not always the case.

I plan to become a university professor, can an industrial internship still benefit me?

Of course! The most immediate benefit is having another scientist who knows you and your work well enough to write you a letter of recommendation (some Universities want 4-6 letters for Assistant Professor positions!). Our area of research is heavily connected to industrial applications, and being industry-savvy is an important quality to have as a Research University professor. (Think about your own PI and the interaction s/he has with industry). You may also make connections that will later lead to industry funding.

Why do I need to get approval from my advisor before I’ve even found a suitable position?

Eventually your advisor will need to sign off on your internship (this is true whether you go through the CMDITR program or not, in the sense that likely you will be asked for a recommendation from your advisor). Getting a first-round feeling for your advisor’s level of support is important. Creating an internship position takes quite a bit of time and effort on our part as well as the part of the company. An initial verification of support prevents us from working to create a position that we are not able to fill, which can cause problems with our relationship with that company and our likelihood of finding positions there in the future.

Why should I go through this program instead of doing it on my own?

Many companies have standing internship programs and you can apply for these without going through this program. The benefit to you of going through this program is that we can often provide you with an ‘in’ to the company that you didn’t otherwise have. We will also support you during your internship in reviewing contracts that you are asked to sign, and in negotiating issues such as intellectual property and confidentiality, at the time of your internship or later if problems arise. If you have an internship set up already, the program requirements are minimal and allow the Center to track the activities of the students and the knowledge transfer activities of the Center.

I’m not a US Citizen, am I still eligible?

Yes, most companies have navigated this issue before and are comfortable with hiring a non-Citizen intern. There are programs through the University (often the Co-op program) that can provide the structure for you to do this, and more information can be provided to you as you continue the process.

My advisor is not supportive of internships in general. What should I do?

Eventually you do need the support of your advisor before doing an industrial internship (whether you go through this program or not!) so you may not be able to do this if your advisor does not approve of internships. However, you may consider doing an internship immediately following the completion of your degree (this is a common approach). Or, you may have the support of your advisor if the internship furthers his/her research objectives. For example, is there an internship opportunity within an industrial collaborator’s lab? Could a new industrial collaboration be formed? Think creatively!

Questions? Please Contact:

Janelle Leger, Research Associate
University of Washington
Chemistry Building 204L
jmleger@u.washington.edu
206-543-2349