The program offers full-time summer internships for graduate students in the quantitative sciences to conduct research in leading HIV/AIDS laboratories, co-mentored by both an HIV/AIDS researcher and quantitative science faculty. These internships immerse graduate students in the quantitative sciences necessary for research currently underway in leading HIV/AIDS laboratories. HIV/AIDS focused PIs submit their proposals in the fall and student applicants are screened and matched with appropriate projects in Clinical, Translational, or Socio-behavioral Science. The 12 week Summer Internship program has been extremely successful, for example the 2020 internship final survey showed that 8 of 9 interns rated the program experience as excellent, and 6/9 interns responded that were highly likely to pursue a career in HIV in the future.
As part of a five-year NIAID R25 research education grant to deliver training in quantitative methods for HIV/AIDS research, the Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers Summer Internship program provides mentoring and research experiences in HIV/AIDS for Masters or PhD students from quantitative disciplines such as statistics, biostatistics, data science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. The internship runs for 12 weeks during summer term and is designed to engage quantitative trainees in real-world HIV/AIDS research, providing the opportunity to conduct research in leading HIV/AIDS laboratories, co-mentored by both an HIV/AIDS researcher and quantitative science faculty. The program is popular — in 2023, we received over 50 applications. This summer, thirteen interns were paired with a Duke CFAR PI and Quantitative Mentor to support an ongoing research project.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Summer Internship. The application deadline is Sunday, January 7, 2024.
2024 Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS Summer Internship Application
Duke Quantitative Summer Internships in HIV/AIDS are paid internships during Summer 2024 to conduct research in HIV/AIDS for graduate students in quantitative disciplines. Areas of research may include data analysis, visualization, machine learning, computer simulation, mathematical modeling, or device engineering. Interns are jointly mentored by an HIV research scientist and a quantitative faculty member (who could be your current research advisor if appropriate). Interns will gain valuable hands-on experience in a collaborative setting, increased knowledge in HIV/AIDS research, and will strengthen oral and written communication skills. Interns will also have the opportunity to present their work at local, national, or international HIV/AIDS conferences.
Internship Details (program website link)
- Up to 10 summer internships available in Summer 2024: May 20 – August 9 (12 weeks)
- Multi-year internships are possible
- Interns will be provided a stipend of $21 per hour (up to a maximum of 40 hours per week) for their participation (unless forbidden by NIH- e.g., T32 recipients)
- Funding is available for interns to present a poster or talk at a national or international conference
- All interns are required to attend weekly internship meetings in person.
- Click here for examples of projects that interns worked on in past years.
Application Process
Applicants will be asked to submit the following materials:
- Statement of Purpose
- Please provide a brief background of your research interests along with a synopsis of what you hope to learn and accomplish by participating in this program. (Up to 10,000 characters)
- CV/Resume
- Graduate school transcript
- Unofficial copies are acceptable
- Two professional/academic references
Click here to apply for an internship.
Applications should be received by midnight Saturday, January 7, 2024 for priority consideration.
Intern Eligibility
- Interns must have a quantitative background (e.g. stats, math, CS, data science, engineering).
- Interns must be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of the internship.
- All graduate student employees must work in North Carolina.
- No students can work outside of the U.S. whether a U.S. citizen, Green Card holder, visa holder or not.
- Foreign nationals who are physically located in the U.S. can work, but their visa status must allow for this work.
We especially welcome applications from women, individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities or individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Please email kelly.sune@duke.edu if you have any programmatic questions.
Call for Proposals: Duke Quantitative Summer Internships in HIV/AIDS (2023)
The Duke Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS Summer Internship is designed for quantitative graduate students to do research on HIV/AIDS projects proposed by the HIV/AIDS research community. Now in its 5th year, the Summer Internship is seeking research proposals for the summer 2023 program (May – July). Successful proposals should involve data analysis, visualization, machine learning, computer simulation, mathematical modeling, software development or device engineering, and may optionally include opportunities for fieldwork or hands-on bench work in the lab. Examples of previous proposals are linked here: Previous Proposals
All interns will be co-mentored by the HIV/AIDS researcher (or designated lab member) and a quantitative researcher (e.g., a biostatistician or biomedical engineer). The Program will provide a suitable quantitative mentor for all funded projects, but let us know if you prefer to work with a specific statistician or computational biologist who is familiar with the project. The objective of the internship is to introduce quantitative graduate students to HIV/AIDS research and encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. This has been extremely successful – for example, in the 2021 internship survey, all interns rated the program experience as very good or excellent, and more than half of interns responded that were somewhat or very likely to pursue a career in HIV in the future.
The summer internships will cover
- 12 weeks of full-time paid work (May 8 – July 28, 2023)
- Up to $2,800 per intern for laboratory or other research expenses
- Travel/accommodation to present a poster or oral presentation at a national conference (all interns)
- Travel/accommodation to present a poster or oral presentation at an international conference (limited)
Expectations of mentors (either PI or designated group member)
- Collaborate with the quantitative mentor over the internship period
- Prepare expectations, objectives and a structured research plan for the intern
- Ensure that any resources necessary are available at the start of the internship (e.g. data sets)
- Meet regularly with intern to provide guidance
Accepted proposals must have the required information below.
- PI
- Lab Mentor (optional)
- Quantitative Mentor (optional- one will be assigned if there is none suggested)
- Research Project Summary: Title, Research Question(s), Research Context/Background
- Desired quantitative skills, if known (High/Medium/Low/Not required)
- Statistics
- Bioinformatics
- Computational biology
- Mathematical modeling
- Engineering
- Programming (state preferred language if known)
- Other
Multiple proposals are welcome!
Submit your proposal for the 2023 Quantitative Methods in HIV Summer Internship to THIS LINK by December 30, 2022.
For assistance with crafting a successful project proposal, CLICK HERE to request a consultation.
If you have any questions about the internship, please contact Kelly Sune (kelly.sune@duke.edu).