What are the responsibilities and job description for the FDA Fellowship - Structural Vaccinology position at U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
FDA Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available in the Office of Vaccines Research and Review (OVRR) at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Research Project: You will join a new lab that uses cryo-electron microscopy to understand how viral proteins are recognized by antibodies at an atomic level, and how that recognition can be exploited to design effective vaccines. You will learn to design and execute experiments to determine the structures of clinically relevant viral proteins and their associated antibodies and receptors. This is an exciting opportunity for those who want to learn structural biology and apply new ideas to antigen design.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will learn how to:
- Express protein through transient transfection
- Purify protein (affinity and size exclusion chromatography)
- Conduct protein binding experiments (ELISA or SPR)
- Develop and optimize protocols for sample preparation and imaging by cryo-EM
- Collect and analyze cryo-EM data using a Tundra microscope
- Monitor and troubleshoot experiments
- Analyze, interpret, and present scientific data
- Write scientific manuscripts and design figures to communicate scientific findings
- Develop new projects using structural biology to enable vaccine development
- Build and analyze atomic-level protein models
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Jason Gorman (Jason.Gorman@fda.hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2026; start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
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 participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. 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 Ethics Requirements
If an ORISE Fellow, to include their spouse and minor children, reports what is identified as a Significantly Regulated Organization (SRO) or prohibited investment fund financial interest in any amount, or a relationship with an SRO, except for spousal employment with an SRO, and the individual will not voluntarily divest the financial interest or terminate the relationship, then the individual is not placed at FDA. For additional requirements, see FDA Ethics for Nonemployee Scientists.
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.