FDA Summer Internship in Computer Engineering

Organization
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reference Code
FDA-ORA-2021-0001
How to Apply

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A complete application consists of:      

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.FDA.OC.other@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline
4/21/2021 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Arkansas Laboratory located in Jefferson, Arkansas. The appointment may also be served in Iowa City, Iowa as a collaboration with the University of Iowa Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The project involves the evaluation of multi-dimensional chromatography mass spectrometry data to identify unknown, co-occurring compounds from FDA historical data within the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) work-group. In conjunction with the mentor, a collaborator from the University of Iowa, and other FDA workgroup members, the participant will become familiar with FDA and regulatory processes, understanding of the analytical process of multi-dimensional chromatography mass spectrometry and coding of these analytical results using MatLab, Python, R or other commonly used language.

Learning objectives include understanding the FDA and Office of Regulatory Affairs purpose, collaborating as a team, communicate written and orally to both scientific and non-scientific audiences, and coding with non-traditional data to broaden knowledge base.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2021

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The initial appointment is for ten weeks, but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at FDA in the Jefferson, Arkansas, or the Iowa City, Iowa, area. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA.  OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency.  This agreement covers such topics as the following:

  • Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment;
  • Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions;
  • Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship;
  • The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA;
  • ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information.
Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in one of the relevant fields.

Preferred skills:

  • Strong background in computer science and coding
  • Willingness to learn and understand analytical methods (not perform) such as two-dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey ideas and concepts to both scientific and non-scientific audiences and communicate effectively through virtual methods
Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (1 )
    • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (5 )
    • Engineering (1 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (5 )
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