Biomedical Research Internship

The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) located at Fort Rucker, Alabama, is a nationally recognized laboratory for research into safety, survival, impact tolerance, sustainability and performance effectiveness of aviators and Soldiers. The USAARL’s research merges the sciences of aviation and medicine to optimize human protection and performance. USAARL's work for the Army’s modernization priorities includes research in the areas of future vertical lift, the next generation combat vehicle and directed-energy weapons. The Laboratory’s highly skilled workforce consists of rated aviators, medical professionals, doctoral- and masters-level researchers, and research technicians.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will learn how to plan and conduct Army performance research for both aviation and ground vehicles, how research areas are identified through review of literature review and Army stakeholder/SME priorities, and will learn the medical, psychological, cognitive, and sensory requirements for operators determined through a review of previous research, task analyses, and targeted research projects both in the laboratory and under operational conditions. The selected participant will gain experience in planning studies to include operations under nominal conditions as well as under a range of psychological and physiological stressors as well as how to formulate potential strategies to mitigate health, environmental, operational, and technological threats to operator performance are developed and assessed in both laboratory and operational settings. The participant will engage in identifying strategies that are compatible with the current military operational environment as well as taking into consideration likely future military requirements. Finally, the participant will learn about the ongoing assessment and validation of standards and strategies recommended in this research program, and how researchers deliver updated and improved medical research products.

The selected candidate will undergo a background investigation and must obtain a favorable clearance in order to participate. An interim clearance is required prior to the candidate starting his/her appointment.

This appointment is a 12-month research appointment, with the possibility to be renewed for additional research periods. Appointments may be extended depending on funding availability, project assignment, program rules, and availability of the participant.

Participants will receive a stipend to be determined by USAARL. Stipends are typically based on the participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other benefits may include the following:

The participant will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOD, or any other office or agency. Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment.

While participants will not enter into an employment relationship with DOD or any other agency, this opportunity will require a suitability investigation/background investigation. Any offer made is considered tentative pending favorable outcome of the investigation.

The candidate shall be pursuing a Doctorate in the field of psychology, human factors, kinesiology, human physiology, biomedical sciences/engineering, medicine, technology, education, or other related field.

The candidate shall have human subjects research experience. The candidate shall have demonstrated his/her subject matter expertise in his/her field of study. The candidate shall have experience in the conduct of research studies including, experience writing protocols, completing data collection, and publishing technical reports and/or peer-reviewed publications. The candidate shall have strong written and oral communication skills.

Skills and/or experience utilizing Microsoft Suite, Adobe, survey tools, computer programming software; and conducting basic research tasks.