The Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) studies why people’s metabolism and nutrient requirements differ from person to person. As scientists, physicians, and healthcare practitioners better understand nutritional individuality, they will be able to enhance human health, improve brain development, and more effectively treat diseases like obesity, cancer, and diabetes. The NRI has the business and administrative infrastructure to support all aspects of running a $20 million research organization. It is located on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina and is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

UNC Nutrition Research Institute faculty and professional support staff accept unpaid student interns for short-term immersion (undergraduate students only) and semester-long learning experiences (undergraduate and graduate students). We work with your institutions to help you earn class credit when possible

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Click the boxes below to see the student journals from each year.

Designed for high school students (rising freshman through seniors), the program ran for six weeks and offered weekly lectures and group mentoring sessions via Zoom. Over the course of these six weeks each student was also expected to complete an independent research paper on the nutrient of their choice. We are excited to present the exceptional work of our summer interns in our first ever Virtual Internship Program Student Journal.