USAMRIID Bio-Threat Assessment and Software Development Research Opportunity

Description The Department of Defense (DoD) offers master’s and doctoral‑level internship and fellowship opportunities at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command – Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRDC MRIID). The role is part of an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) program and involves collaborative learning with a multidisciplinary community of scientists and researchers. The fellow will design and construct software tools for next‑generation sequencing and synthetic biology applications, contributing to real‑world biosurveillance challenges. Location Frederick, Maryland Start Date September 7, 2026. Exact start date will be coordinated with the selected candidate. Appointment Length Initial appointment of one year with the option to extend for up to four additional years, contingent upon project needs and funding availability. Provisions Stipend determined by USAMRIID, based on academic standing, discipline, experience, and location. Health insurance supplement – participants may purchase health insurance through ORISE. Relocation allowance. Training and travel allowance. Responsibilities As an ORISE participant, the fellow will engage in the following: Design and develop bioinformatics tools to analyze large‑scale, high‑throughput genomics datasets from Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencers. Build software tools supporting synthetic biology research, including CRISPR/Cas systems, molecular engineering, and vaccine/therapeutic delivery platforms. Develop computational biology software using traditional coding suites and emerging AI/LLM tools. Create methods for field‑sequencing and real‑time identification of unknown pathogens. Translate biological requirements into project‑specific digital tools, exposing CRISPR/Cas technologies and molecular engineering. Collaborate within a professional scientific environment, present research findings, and document software code to industry standards. Qualifications Master’s or doctoral degree in data sciences, software engineering, bioinformatics, infectious disease, or related disciplines received within five years of appointment start date. Eligibility Requirements Citizenship: U.S. Citizen only. Degree: Master’s or doctoral degree received within the last 60 months. Discipline: Computer, information, and data sciences (including artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, human language processing, machine learning). Computer science (general). Data science. Databases, information retrieval, and web search. Graphics and visualization. Scientific computing and informatics. Software engineering. Life, health, and medical sciences. #J-18808-Ljbffr Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education