Analytical Development Flow Cytometry Intern

Internship Summary

The analytical development intern will work closely with project teams to provide improved analytical methods to support unmet needs and streamline existing assays. The intern will gain experience working with vaccine products, applying flow cytometry to project and regulatory needs, and interacting with partner groups to improve assay design and transfer protocols.

Internship Job Duties

• Operate and troubleshoot flow cytometers
• Empirically determine voltages and acquisition settings
• Perform compensation and develop appropriate gating strategies
• Assess instrument performance and data quality from the resulting data
• Analyze data in FlowJo
• Design and optimize fit-for-purpose assays
• Work with partner groups to define assay needs and performance goals
• Use literature and existing assays to establish a baseline workflow
• Evaluate assay performance and identify critical variables
• Use data-driven, iterative optimization to improve assay performance and robustness
• Grow and manage vaccine strains using aseptic technique and strain-specific conditions
• Perform tissue-culture activities and follow strain-specific growth requirements
• Enumerate cultures and assess antigen abundance or presentation using multiple methods
• Evaluate how culture conditions affect antigen quality and assay results
• Write clear, concise protocols covering procedures, controls, critical parameters, and troubleshooting
• Document assay development, optimization, limitations, and recommended conditions
• Transfer methods to partner groups and train non-experts to perform them correctly
• Present results, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations clearly
• Explain the scientific rationale and workflow to technical and non-expert audiences
• Use data to support recommendations and gain alignment on next steps

Internship Qualifications

• Be a self-motivated student interested in applying their experience to a real-world vaccine analysis problem
• Must be proficient at flow cytometry and analysis of resultant data
• Familiarity with tissue culture and sterile technique
• Enrolled in an MS or graduating with an MS and entering a PhD program in the fall
• Education in a field related to a life science