*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
HHS Office and Location: An ORISE fellowship opportunity is available with the Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases Division (IEIDD) 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.
The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and biomedical science.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for public health emergencies and disasters. Within ASPR, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) supports the advanced research, development, and procurement of medical countermeasures needed to address national health security threats. The Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases Division (IEIDD) focuses on advancing medical countermeasures and preparedness capabilities to address pandemic influenza, emerging infectious diseases, and related public health threats through the development of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and enabling technologies that strengthen national preparedness and response efforts.
Please visit www.medicalcountermeasures.gov to learn more about BARDA.
Project Description: The Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases Division (IEIDD) within BARDA advances research and development activities focused on medical countermeasures for pandemic influenza and emerging infectious disease threats. Through this educational research participation opportunity, you will engage in a mentored learning experience focused on bioinformatics, computational biology, influenza surveillance, and vaccine research related to zoonotic influenza viruses with pandemic potential, including A(H5) viruses. You may participate in research activities involving genomic data analysis, candidate vaccine evaluation, antigenic characterization, and integration of genomic, immunologic, and structural datasets to better understand emerging influenza threats and vaccine response strategies. By collaborating with interdisciplinary scientific teams, you will gain exposure to translational research approaches that inform pandemic preparedness, next-generation vaccine technologies, and evidence-based scientific decision-making in public health preparedness.
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 (Remote): The program supports 100% remote participation, with required travel to Washington, DC and/or vendor sites, as needed. Opportunities for in-person engagement may enhance the fellowship experience. However, remote participation will not preclude an otherwise highly qualified candidate from consideration. Remote fellows will participate on a full-time basis, up to 40 hours per week. A flexible schedule may be available based on program and training needs. Fellows should 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, gain exposure to emergency response activities, and support program objectives. Such participation will be based on operational and training needs and coordinated by the assigned Mentor.
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.
