Neuropsychiatric genomics research internship

Neuropsychiatric Genomics Research Internship

Project Description:

This research internship provides an introduction to the use of genomics methods in neuroscience research. The research intern will contribute to an ongoing study comparing brain gene expression signatures from different animal models of psychiatric disorder by conducting a systematic meta-analysis of public transcriptional profiling datasets (microarray, RNA-Seq) on a topic related to anxiety, depression, or addiction. To conduct this meta-analysis, the intern will learn the basics of R statistical programming, as well as dive into the neurobiology underlying their topic in depth.

Please note that although this is a computational internship *it is not essential that interns already know statistics or programming* - we are happy to train interns who are excited to learn!

Internship Tasks and Responsibilities:

The workload and intensity for this summer project will be similar to that of an undergraduate honors thesis. The research intern is expected to work full-time (25-40 hrs/week) from 6/1/2026-8/14/2026 (w/ vacations/holidays off). They will be working in lockstep with a small group of other researchers (undergraduate, graduate, PhD) learning neuroscience genomics methods as part of a virtual/remote summer program (The Brain Data Alchemy Project) funded by the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF). 

The group will meet daily in the morning via zoom (~1-2 hrs/day) to gain the background necessary for each step of the research. The rest of the day will be flexible/independent work – during previous summers, interns have found that the flexibility makes it possible to also travel, visit family, volunteer in a clinic, etc., throughout the summer. Questions throughout the day will be fielded over e-mail or one-on-one zoom calls. Task lists and code will be shared using Github (https://github.com), and larger files will be shared via Google Drive. Throughout the summer, short presentations and written summaries of readings will be requested as well as formal descriptions of methods and results.

The intern will begin by learning about animal models of psychiatric disorders, transcriptional profiling methods, and the current status of our meta-analysis project from a selection of textbook chapters, primary and secondary research articles, and unpublished manuscripts. During this time, the intern will also learn the basics of statistical programming using the R language by completing a multiweek training. 

Following this introductory work, the intern will choose a topic of interest related to psychiatric disorder and identify transcriptional profiling datasets related to that topic. The intern will then filter these datasets by using a systematic review of their metadata and related publications to determine their utility for the project. Then the intern will use statistical programming (R) to extract relevant effect sizes for all expressed genes from each dataset and use these to construct a master database. The intern will compare the results across studies using correlations and hierarchical clustering, and identify consistent patterns using formal meta-analysis.

The intern will present their results at the end of the summer or early Fall to our laboratory group and will also contribute formal descriptions of methods and results to be used in future presentations and publications. When possible, the intern will be invited to present their results at professional conferences.

Minimum qualifications:

Previous experience with neuroscience subject matter and introductory biology is helpful (although not essential), as is general familiarity with navigating primary scientific literature. Since the internship will be conducted remotely, it is essential that the intern be self-motivated and able to work independently. Similarly important is a willingness to dive into the deep end – reading material and activities will often not be well-matched to the intern’s previous experience or abilities, so much of the internship may be spent puzzling through content, identifying the most important areas of ignorance or confusion, asking questions, and then puzzling more. Persistence, curiosity, and a willingness to fumble will be necessary for success.

Since this internship will be conducted remotely, it is not essential that the intern be located in any particular city or country, although interactions will occur during the business day as determined by the local time of the internship supervisor (Eastern Standard Time). 

Gains:

Research interns will develop skills in genomics, literature review, statistical programming, and scientific communication. The results produced during the internship may be shared within poster format or as part of undergraduate or graduate thesis work. Results may also be included in future professional presentations and publications as determined by the internship supervisor.

This research internship is officially unpaid, but the research supervisor can help connect the intern with potential sources of competitive internship funding.