The Digital Transformation Summer Corps is a paid, 10-week program that invites students with skills in software development and data science to work alongside faculty to accelerate digitally-enabled research projects at WashU.
Students in the program gain hands-on experience working on high-impact initiatives, while faculty benefit from dedicated technical expertise to advance their work. Through mentorship, collaboration, and rigorous training in best practices for AI, machine learning, and computational research, the program fosters a dynamic community of innovation.
Aligned with WashU’s Here & Next strategic plan, the Digital Transformation Summer Corps strengthens the university’s digital infrastructure, supports faculty research, and delivers tangible outcomes that drive future funding and scholarly advancement.
Program Objectives
Building an intellectual community
The program will strengthen and connect the siloed communities of developers that exist across schools and departments to attract faculty and drive interdisciplinary innovation.
Accelerating research projects
Dedicated student workers will advance research projects that align with Here and Next objectives and help strengthen WashU’s compute infrastructure by creating user-friendly code components that enable researchers to leverage Research Infrastructure Services (RIS) more efficiently.
Submitting 5-7 projects for external funding
Professional grant writers will provide application support to help faculty successfully apply for external funding in the fall.
Program Timeline
| May 27 – 30 | Orientation week Students meet with assigned faculty mentors, PIs and DI2 staff to define clear expectations. |
| June 2 – Jul 25 | Research and software development Students begin coding work on projects, under faculty mentorship, with weekly project meetings, code reviews, and a mid-program review the week of June 30. |
| July 28 – August 1 | Final deliverables and wrap-up Faculty review and approve final work. |
2025 Faculty Mentors
Joe Guinness, PhD
Associate Professor of Statistics & Data Science
Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies in SDS
2025 Faculty PIs
We’re compiling the details—return soon for a full list of faculty PIs and their projects.
Digital Transformation Summer Corps Partners
Digital Solutions Studios (DSS)
Students will work to further develop and refine research prototypes created in collaboration with the DSS.
Skandalaris Center
The Skandalaris Center will facilitate experiential learning events with local industry partners.
WashU Information Technology
The Summer Corps will work to develop user-friendly code components that make working with WashU IT’s RIS interface more approachable for faculty researchers.
CSE Research Experience for Undergrads
The Summer Corps will work with CSE REU to identify skilled students for the 2025 cohort and opportunities to create connections across disciplines.
Let’s collaborate!
Want to learn more or get involved? Reach out to us and we’ll be in touch.