Biomedical Informatics and Data Science at I2DB (BIDS@I2DB) Summer Research Internship

• Application open: Oct. 1, 2024
• Application deadline: Jan. 15, 2025
• Interviews complete: Early March, 2025
• Final decisions issued: Late March, 2025
• Virtual orientation and preparatory training period: May 19-23, 2025
• In-person program start date: May 27, 2025
• Lab retreat: Mid-July, 2025
• Poster session: Late July, 2025
• Program end date: August 1, 2025

* Dates and deadlines are subject to change.

As a BIDS@I²DB intern, you will:

• Work within the lab of an I²DB faculty member & participate actively in research in progress
• Receive biomedical informatics & data science training
• Participate in interdisciplinary, weekly lab meetings
• Attend weekly seminars
• Collaborate with fellow interns, faculty & staff on projects and research
• Attend I²DB retreat & present summer research
• Create a scientific poster for a culminating event for the WUSM community
• Experience a broad range of biomedical informatics & data science research methods, technology, and theories

• Who is eligible to participate in the BIDS@I²DB summer internship program?
  Undergraduates at all levels (excluding graduating seniors) and Master’s students studying at a U.S. institution are eligible to apply. Students cannot participate in the program if they are graduating in the spring or summer of the internship year for which they are applying. This program is primarily intended for undergraduates, but we do reserve a few slots for Master’s students. Every summer, approximately 15 trainees from a wide range of academic backgrounds work on research projects as part of the BIDS@I²DB program.
• What items are required for the internship application?
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • One letter of recommendation
  • CV or résumé
  • A short list of faculty you are interested in working with
    
    Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The link to apply can be found above. There is no fee to apply.
• Is the program open to international students?
  Yes, as long as you are enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at a U.S. institution and can apply for CPT or OPT with your home institution. We are not able to sponsor international visitors whose university is outside of the U.S. at this time, but hope to in the future.
• How competitive is this program?
  We receive approximately 5-6 applications for each available slot.
• What is the time commitment required of a BIDS trainee?
  Trainees should expect to work in a full-time capacity throughout the duration of the program, which is 40 hours a week. Unfortunately, we cannot accept part-time trainees at this time. This is an 11-week program, typically beginning in late May and ending in early August. The first week is virtual and is focused on orientation & preparatory training.
• How does the mentor-trainee “matching” process work?
  Each January, we survey faculty on their needs for summer trainees and ask them to share any desired skillsets or backgrounds they are looking for in a trainee(s), as this can change from year to year. We take this information, along with the list of preferred faculty gathered from each application, into consideration during the admissions process. We will issue final admission decisions and, if admitted, faculty mentor assignments by early April.
• What projects might I work on?
  While the specific projects that trainees may work on is constantly evolving, you can check out our faculty bio page below to learn more about general areas of interest. In recent years, trainees have worked on projects ranging from applying machine learning to single-cell data sets to utilizing informatics techniques to solve problems in the population health domain. Check out this St. Louis Public Radio article, which highlights a recent project led by Dr. Beth Prusaczyk and a previous summer trainee who studied the relationship between Facebook connections and the spread of COVID-19.
• What are some examples of previous project topics?
  • Using Natural Language Processing to Phenotype Sepsis in Lung Cancer Patients
  • Hierarchy-Based Signaling Pathway Automation in the Tumor Microenvironment
  • Using EHR Audit Logs to Assess Transitional Care in Older Adult Hospital Patients
  • Determining Violent Injury Rates Among St Louis Area Adults Aged 65 and Older
  • Utilizing Unsupervised Machine Learning to Phenotype Oncology Inpatients
  • Development of a Pressure Injury Risk Prediction Model
  • Forecasting Models for Improved Quality Assurance and Patient Outcomes in Labor and Delivery
  • Cell-Cell Communication Analysis Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
  • Testing the Potential of Synthetic Data to Classify and Predict Breast Cancer Morality
• My summer availability doesn’t quite line up with the posted dates. Is this a problem?
  We have accepted applicants who requested an alternate start or end date in the past. Please indicate your need for a different timeline on your application.
• Is financial support provided?
  Undergraduates can expect their financial support to equate to approximately $16/hr for 10 weeks. MS students are supported at a slightly higher hourly rate. These rates are subject to change. Trainees are also provided university housing if needed.
• For more information, please contact Katie Bay at k.bay@wustl.edu, Senior Program Manager at I²DB.