CDC Bioinformatics Fellowship
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
CDC Office and Location: Two bioinformatics fellowships are available in the Culture Independent and Metagenomic Subtyping group (CIMS) in the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch (EDLB) in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Research Project: To maintain long-term viability, foodborne enteric pathogen outbreak surveillance systems must transition from culture-based methods, which require extensive laboratory work to isolate pathogens from other microbes in a patient stool sample, to molecular techniques compatible with complex metagenomic samples. CIMS is working closely with PulseNet, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Team in EDLB, and other partners to develop complete workflows covering specimen collection to final pathogen report. As a part of this work, CIMS is offering a fellowship to support the development of antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) calling profiles for the ROCker bioinformatics program across a number of ARGs of public health interest. The participant will collaborate closely with a team of bioinformaticians and subject matter experts to collect gene sequences and metadata relevant to building ARG calling profiles in ROCker.
Learning Objectives:
- The functional and genomic diversity of selected antimicrobial resistance determinants
- Designing and tailoring bioinformatics tools for public health use
- Collaborating with laboratory and bioinformatic scientists across institutions
Mentor(s): The mentors for this opportunity are Andrew Huang (wwm8@cdc.gov), A. Jo Williams-Newkirk (igy7@cdc.gov) and Sherricka Stephens (gii8@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 2021. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.CDC.NCEZID@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity (CDC-DFWED-2021-0231).