LHSI Intern: Cardiovascular Genetics Research Assistant
Program Summary:
This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IU Indianapolis undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2026 and end in May 2027 and are paid $14/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.
Supervisor: Sarah Murphy (NOTE: This supervisor has multiple distinct internships with LHSI, be sure to select the correct one!)
Department/Office: Medicine Medical and Molecular Genetics
Overview of the internship site: Launched in 2014, the Cardiovascular Genetics Program is a multidisciplinary team that brings together basic science, translational, and clinical research to study the genetic factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. Investigators in the program work to understand how genetic changes affect heart development and lead to inherited heart conditions, with the goal of identifying causes, developing new treatments, and improving quality of life for individuals with heart disease.
Led by Dr. Stephanie Ware, the program provides comprehensive clinical care and research opportunities for both children and adults with cardiovascular disease. Dr. Ware’s research focuses on congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, and heterotaxy, a condition in which internal organs are arranged differently than usual. Using genome-wide approaches, translational research in the Cardiovascular Genetics Program aims to discover new genes involved in heart malformations and apply these findings to improve diagnosis, risk assessment, and personalized care.
Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/22816/ware-stephanie
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The Cardiovascular Genetics Research Intern will support ongoing projects by completing a variety of research and administrative tasks. Responsibilities include abstracting data from electronic medical records, organizing study files, and assisting with basic data checks. Interns will also help coordinate research procedures with participants and prepare, ship, and track biospecimen collection kits.
Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting with dress code: Business casual
Project-specific qualifications: The ideal intern is detail-oriented, has strong time management skills, and demonstrates a genuine interest in genetics and cardiovascular research.
Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum); Flexible based on intern schedule. Some available during weekends and evenings
By the end of the LHSI program, you will:
Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator)
Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator)
Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator)
Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator)
Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor.
LHSI Qualifications
must be graduating May 2028 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2026)
Current full time IU Indianapolis undergraduate in 2026-27
minimum overall GPA of 2.0
All majors welcome
To apply:
LHSI accepts 125 interns per year. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” Complete the application for LHSI at go.iu.edu/lhsi and list 3-4 internship sites on that application. You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.