Internships

Biostatistics

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 biostatistics. We expect to have at least two positions for summer 2023.

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 biostatintern23@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 11 interns. The most recent interns are below, or click here for our Internship Alumni page.

Internship Alumni Page

Year	Name	Affiliation/Mentors	Project
2022	Chenhao Zhao	MSc, Dartmouth University; Staff Statistician in our department; mentors Saunak Sen and Gregory Farage	Chenhao worked on the Matrix Linear Model package for Julia (Matrix.M.jl). Mr. Zhao expanded the documentation, increased user friendliness and created a case study to showcase MLM's benefits. The case study investigated the association between Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients with type II diabetes and specific pathways and patient characteristics.
2021	Nadeesha Thewarapperuma	PhD student, University of Kansas Medical Center; mentors: Xiaoyu Liang and Chi-Yang Chiu	Nadeesha performed an epigenome-wide association study for identifying oral and pharyngeal carcinoma-related CpGs by utilizing functional data analysis techniques.
2021	Winston Miller	MS student, University of Memphis; mentors Mehmet Kocak and Fridtjof Thomas	Winston developed an R package bigBERD for generating automated biostatistic report templates.
2021	Ye Eun Bae	Phd student, Florida State University; mentor Saunak Sen	Ye Eun developed a statistical method for genetic analysis of allotetraploid species using data from switchgrass, a grass species native to North America used as biofuel.
2021	Zifan Yu	Scientific Programmer in our department and PhD student Bredesen Center at UT and Oak Ridge; mentors: Saunak Sen and Tom Juenger of UT Austin	Zifan developed a fast computational algorithm in the Julia programming language for modeling large data matrices common in high-throughput biological experiments.

 

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.