Internships
Biomedical Data Science Applications for 2025 Open in October 2024
Biostatistics - Biomedical Data Science
The Division of Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee invites applications for paid internships in Biomedical Data Science. Applications for summer 2025 will be reviewed starting October 16th, 2024 and will continue until positions are filled. We expect to have at least two positions for summer 2025.
Interns will work with one or more of our faculty members on a statistical project of mutual interest. The work is expected to lead to a tangible research product such as software package or methodological paper. Interested individuals must have strong programming skills in at least one language (eg. R, Python, Julia, C/C++, SAS), possess basic data analysis skills, and have a willingness to learn biomedical science. Applicants should possess a relevant (eg. statistics, mathematics, computer science) bachelor’s or master’s degree; undergraduate students must be rising juniors or seniors.
Most internships are 20-40 hours per week for 10 weeks, but total hours are negotiable. Internships may be paid or for credit at the student's home institution depending on institutional policies, student and faculty mentor preference.
Please send a cover letter with a resume/cv to biostatintern25@uthsc.edu. In your cover letter please explain your training goals, research interests, statistical training, and computer programming experience. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Since 2016, the division has hosted 16 interns. The most recent interns are below, or click here for our Internship Alumni page.
Our Interns Success Stories
Department of Preventive Medicine interns in the news:
| Year | Name | Affiliation/Mentors | Project |
| 2024 | Durbadal Ghosh | PhD Biostatistics, Florida State University; Mentors Gregory Farage and Saunak Sen | During his internship, Durbadal contributed to the BigRiverQTL.jl Julia package designed to streamline quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. BigRiverQTL.jl integrates multiple functionalities, including preprocessing, genome scans, and visualization tools, to facilitate efficient and accessible QTL and eQTL analysis within the Julia programming environment. He also contributed toward process improvements to the package FlxQTL.jl, a package for multivariate and longitudinal trait analyses. |
| 2024 | Shanti Sree-Edara | MPH Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Southern Mississippi; Mentors Kimberly Kelly and Chi-Yang Chiu | Shanti conducted a study on the impact of gift card challenges on the quality and quantity of research. Deployed a Qualtrics survey to NIH-funded researchers and other research groups, analyzed the data, performed cross-tabulation and ordinal regression, and presented the findings. At the end of her internship she worked on a Qualtrics survey for a skin cancer awareness project - pre and post intervention and conducted literature reviews. |
| 2024 |
Yinan Chen |
MSc Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Mentors Zhu Wang and Lauren Bell | Ivy examined trends in drug overdose deaths related to illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMFs) among adolescents over. She built a linear model to analyze the changes in drug use across this demographic. At the end of her project she built an interactive web application in R Shiny to promote awareness and public engagement in drug overdose deaths. |
About Memphis
Memphis is a mid-sized city with a distinctive cultural identity, mild climate, and affordable cost of living. It is the home of blues music, Elvis Presley, and barbecue. It offers the amenities of city life (zoo, museums, concerts, parks, restaurants) in a laid-back environment. The UTHSC campus is about 5 minutes from downtown and the popular Midtown neighborhood; there are many affordable apartments nearby. Most desirable residential neighborhoods within the city and suburbs are less than 40 minutes away.