At MBARI, we believe discovery begins with opportunity—the kind that changes lives and careers. Through our immersive internship and postdoctoral programs, MBARI is cultivating a global network of scientists and engineers who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in marine research and technology.
Every year, we welcome new interns and postdoctoral fellows from around the globe to work side-by-side with MBARI’s world-class staff. Here, they design instruments, analyze deep-sea video, program robots, explore ocean ecosystems, and much more. In return, MBARI offers what few other places can: mentorship, encouragement to think big, and the tools to bring bold ideas to life.
Immersive, hands-on, and transformative internships
Launched in 1996, MBARI’s Summer Internship Program is more than a traditional research experience. Open to undergraduate, graduate, and early-career professionals—including international candidates and educators—the program is designed to meet people wherever they are on their career journey.
From marine biology and robotics to data science and communications, interns are paired with mentors across disciplines and gain real experience contributing to MBARI projects. Weekly workshops on professional development, applying for graduate school, networking with other interns and professionals, and navigating career pathways complement hands-on learning in the lab and at sea with their mentors.
For many, those 10 weeks become a turning point. While there are no guarantees, some interns return to MBARI as collaborators, postdocs, or even staff, joining a growing alumni network that spans the diverse ocean community—from science and industry to medicine and policy.
MBARI’s Summer Internship Program aims to be a transformative experience. We help students find their path, whether that is research, engineering, science communication, or something they had not even imagined before.
Mentorship in action
MBARI staff are driven by a curiosity to learn more about the ocean and a passion to protect its future. MBARI’s mentoring philosophy is simple: invest in people, not just projects.
Mentors volunteer their time because they believe in the power of passing knowledge forward. The goal is not to create a summer’s worth of data, but rather to equip each intern with the skills and confidence to design, test, and communicate their own ideas.
We believe a good mentor puts their mentee’s success first, helping them learn how to ask the right questions to solve a challenge.
This year, MBARI piloted a new mentoring initiative that builds on the success of the Summer Internship Program to foster peer relationships across the institute’s full-time staff. The new MBuddy Program pairs new hires with long-term staff to build a culture of continuous learning. We are creating an environment where mentoring is part of everyone’s job description.
Summer interns and postdoctoral fellows work closely with their mentors to tackle bold and ambitious research projects that are transforming ocean science and engineering. Image: Marike Pinsonneault © 2025 MBARI
Postdoctoral fellowships: freedom to explore
If the internship program is an introduction to MBARI’s interdisciplinary approach to ocean exploration, the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is an invitation to lead within it.
Unlike many postdoctoral programs, MBARI postdoctoral fellows are not tied to a single lab. They are encouraged to pursue independent research while collaborating across disciplines—biologists with engineers, data scientists with chemists, technologists with ecologists.
MBARI’s postdoctoral fellowships last for two years and span a range of disciplines. For example, among our 10 current postdocs, Olivia Soares Pereira is studying the community of organisms that feed on decomposing wood that falls to the deep seafloor. Giovanni Testa is investigating how different physical processes influence phytoplankton biodiversity in the Galápagos Islands. Lee Miller is exploring how the microbes in the guts of deep-sea animals transform and transport carbon. And Mauro Candeloro is developing algorithms to improve mapping surveys over complex seafloor terrain.
MBARI postdocs form a strong bond with one another, becoming a close-knit cohort that supports one another, bouncing off research ideas and sharing career opportunities, in stark contrast to traditional postdoctoral fellowships that can be notoriously lonely. MBARI’s program enables postdocs to build a network of people with a shared background they can call on throughout their careers.
“Interns and postdoctoral fellows bring a passion for discovery that inspires all of us at MBARI to push the boundaries of what’s possible in marine science and technology.” —Senior Education and Research Specialist George Matsumoto
Building a culture of learning
At MBARI, the mentoring does not stop when the internship or fellowship ends. Former interns like Kevin Barnard, now a software engineer at MBARI who works on the FathomNet Program, VARS, and other data-driven projects, are helping guide the next generation of up-and-coming marine researchers.
Every summer, MBARI’s halls and labs buzz with the energy of interns, postdocs, and mentors. Weekly seminars, field trips, barbecues, and collaborative projects infuse new perspectives across the organization. The experience does not just shape early-career professionals; it reinvigorates MBARI’s staff.
MBARI’s summer interns remind our staff how special this place is, and their excitement puts MBARI’s work and impact in perspective. That vitality has become an integral part of MBARI’s identity: a place where curiosity is contagious, and learning never stops.
MBARI scientists often maintain strong academic ties with universities in California and beyond, sharing MBARI’s research and technology with graduate students through classroom teaching and hands-on experience year-round. For example, Senior Scientist Steven Haddock advises University of California, Santa Cruz graduate researchers studying comb jellies, while Principal Engineer Giancarlo Troni mentors master’s students from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in the CoMPAS Lab, where they develop low-cost seafloor mapping tools.
A rich history of mentorship and discovery guides the future
This summer, MBARI will celebrate 30 years of its Summer Internship Program, a milestone that represents more than numbers. More than 440 interns and 130 postdocs have come through our doors, contributing to countless discoveries, tech innovations, and research publications. Many now lead research programs, teach the next generation, and continue to collaborate with MBARI scientists.
Now more than ever, the ocean needs explorers to understand the rising tide of threats to marine life, ecosystems, and resources. MBARI interns, fellows, and other early-career staff bring fresh perspectives that contribute to innovative solutions to urgent conservation challenges.
To accelerate these solutions, MBARI is exploring ways to expand early-career opportunities with exciting new programs.
For the past two years, a pilot apprenticeship program has offered firsthand experience in marine operations, supporting the development, deployment, and maintenance of MBARI’s ocean-observing technologies.
On the communications side, MBARI is focused on ensuring early-career marine scientists have the storytelling skills they need to inspire and engage audiences with ocean science and conservation. Our Science Communication Fellowship and collaboration with the science illustration program at California State University, Monterey Bay, are helping emerging science communicators leverage the power of visuals to immerse audiences in compelling stories.
The next wave of ocean exploration
At MBARI, every internship, fellowship, and mentoring connection adds to a legacy of discovery that spans generations. The curiosity that drives our ocean research also drives our commitment to cultivating new talent, ensuring that the next great breakthroughs begin with opportunity.
Through all of these programs, MBARI is helping the next generation of marine researchers discover their passions. We are making a difference in their lives and career paths. Our interns and postdocs take skills they have learned here to the wider ocean exploration community, creating a wave of change for ocean science and conservation.