LHSI Intern: Laboratory Researcher: therapeutic drugs to treat disease

Program Summary:  

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IUI 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 April 2027 and are paid $14/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required. 

Supervisor: Dr. Jeffery Tharp

Department/Office: Medicine; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Overview of the internship site: In the Tharp lab we utilize state-of-the-art drug discovery tools to study and identify potential treatments for human diseases. A major focus of our lab is in identifying novel peptides that can be used as therapeutic tools to treat disease. Our primary interest is in identifying peptides with anti-cancer and anti-viral properties. Peptides are molecules comprised of 5–25 amino acids. These molecules have many features that make them ideal for use as therapeutics. For example, peptides can bind to drug targets with incredibly high affinity and selectivity. Furthermore, peptides can bind to flat and featureless surfaces, which is a major challenge for traditional small molecule drugs. However, one drawback of peptide-based therapeutics is that most peptides have poor stability in the human body. Because of their poor stability, most peptides are degraded before they can engage their target. To overcome this limitation, our lab is developing drug discovery platforms that can be used to identify highly stabilized peptides. These platforms can be used to identify novel peptides that can bind to a multitude of drug targets.

Website for more information: tharplab.org

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Interns will work closely with laboratory staff to carry out diverse experiments. Interns in our lab will gain hands-on experience with in-demand biotechnology techniques including molecular cloning, PCR, DNA and protein electrophoresis, Western blot, protein expression and purification, etc.

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily with dress code of standard laboratory dress code: long pants, closed toe shoes, etc.

Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum), scheduling is flexible within regular work hours

Project-specific qualifications: All required training and skills will be provided.

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 IUI undergraduate

·        minimum overall GPA of 2.0 

·        All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 75 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at lhsi.iupui.edu and select 3-4 internship sites on that application. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.