The Dosage Effect of Undergraduate Research Experiences: Longitudinal Evidence on Participation Duration and Biomedical Career Outcomes

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are widely promoted to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), yet the amount of sustained research engagement needed to support entry into biomedical research careers remains unclear. This study examined how the duration of URE participation (dosage) and participation in summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) independently relate to post-graduation educational and career trajectories among students historically underrepresented in scientific research careers. Using longitudinal data from 322 BUILD PODER participants, we examined post-graduation outcomes from 2017 to 2025. Educational and career trajectories were classified as biomedical research, biomedical non-research, non-biomedical STEM, or non-STEM, and logistic regression was used to examine associations between dosage (1, 2, or 3 years) and SURE participation with biomedical research trajectories. Compared with two years of dosage, one year was associated with significantly lower odds of entering biomedical research trajectories, whereas three years did not confer additional benefit. SURE participation predicted entry into biomedical research trajectories after accounting for dosage. These findings suggest that two years of sustained URE participation may be sufficient to support entry into biomedical research trajectories, while SUREs appear to provide additional benefits, highlighting the value of sustained and diverse research opportunities for broadening participation in the biomedical research workforce.