*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
HHS Office and Location: An ORISE fellowship opportunity is available with the Division of Nonclinical Development (DNCD) within the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This mentored research training opportunity is located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and may include in-person participation at BARDA offices in Washington, D.C. or Maryland.
Please visit www.medicalcountermeasures.gov to learn more about BARDA.
Project Description: The Division of Nonclinical Development (DNCD) within BARDA advances the nonclinical science, regulatory research, and data-driven approaches needed to support the development of medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN), pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious disease threats. Through this educational research participation opportunity, you will engage in a mentored learning experience focused on nonclinical development activities, including animal model development, advanced in vitro systems, biomarker evaluation, assay development, quantitative analytics, and regulatory science approaches that inform medical countermeasure development and FDA regulatory pathways. You may also participate in research activities related to DNCD’s Nonclinical Data Coordination Center (DCC), which supports the integration, standardization, visualization, and analysis of nonclinical datasets to strengthen evidence generation and translational research efforts. This opportunity is designed to provide immersive exposure to multidisciplinary scientific collaboration across government, academic, and laboratory environments while enhancing your understanding of the scientific and regulatory principles that support public health preparedness and medical countermeasure development.
Learning Objectives: This opportunity is intended to provide exposure to multidisciplinary collaboration across government, academic, and industry research environments while expanding your understanding of the scientific and public health considerations that support national health security preparedness. Through this mentored research training experience, you will develop knowledge of pandemic influenza preparedness, emerging infectious disease research, and the scientific principles underlying vaccine development and evaluation. You may gain experience applying bioinformatics and computational approaches to genomic surveillance, analysis of influenza sequence data, and interpretation of antigenic and immunologic datasets associated with candidate vaccine research. This opportunity is intended to strengthen your skills in scientific data analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific communication, and evaluation of scientific literature related to influenza viruses with pandemic potential. You will also gain broader exposure to translational research and public health preparedness activities that contribute to the development of medical countermeasures and pandemic response capabilities.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Felicia Harris (felicia.harris@hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Flexible; the start date will depend on the selection and onboarding process.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of BARDA and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Place, Level of Participation, & Schedule (Hybrid): The program will operate under a hybrid participation model. Selected fellows will be required to report to BARDA’s Washington, DC office up to three times per week, as directed by their Mentor and based on program and training needs. Fellows will participate on a full-time basis, up to 40 hours per week. A flexible schedule may be available based on program and operational needs. Fellows are expected to be available during the program’s core hours of 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on scheduled participation days. The specific schedule may be established or requested by the assigned Mentor.
As BARDA is an emergency response agency, fellows may also be required to participate on weekends and federal holidays when necessary to maximize training opportunities and gain exposure to emergency response activities. Such participation will be based on operational and training needs and coordinated by the assigned
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. You must maintain health insurance coverage throughout your appointment, you will be offered a health insurance stipend to help offset the cost of coverage.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
