LHSI Intern: Research Assistant, roles of ion channels in the cardiovascular and nervous systems

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 2025 and end in May 2026 and are paid $13/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.

Supervisor: Dr. Alexander G. Obukhov, PhD

Department/Office: Medicine; Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

Overview of the internship site: The roles of ion channels in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. We study the molecular physiology of ion channels expressed in neuronal, endothelial, and smooth muscle cells. We employ the following techniques and approaches: fluorescence imaging, patch-clamp electrophysiology, isometric tension measurements, immunohistochemistry, and molecular modeling. The accepted students may learn the following: various dissection techniques, which are used to isolate the mouse aorta and dorsal root ganglia; fluorescence imaging techniques, which are used to measure intracellular calcium changes in living cells and tissues; and the techniques that are used for measuring smooth muscle contractility. We focus on the roles of ion channels during atherosclerosis development. We also investigate the consequences of traumatic brain injury in the cardiovascular system.

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/17979/obukhov-alexander

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Bench work, animal surgery, electrophysiology, isometric tension recordings, PCR, genotyping, cloning, mutagenesis, cell culture, fluorescence imaging, immunohistochemistry, computer modeling

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in a lab setting with a casual dress code

Hours per week: 10, scheduling is flexible. The Intern should allocate one long (7-8 hrs) work day and another short (2-3 hrs) work day per week.

Project-specific qualifications: No prerequisites or other requirements. The student will receive the necessary training.

Majors Preferred: Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer and Information Science, Exercise Science, Forensic and Investigative Sciences, Health Sciences, Technical Communication, Medical Humanities and Health Studies, Neuroscience, Nursing, Physics

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 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025)   

·        Current full-time IUI undergraduate

·        minimum overall GPA of 2.0 

·        All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 125 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at lhsi.indianapolis.iu.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.