FDA Fellowship - Investigating Safety of Biologics Using Next-Generation Sequencing for Adventitious Virus Detection

Organization

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Reference Code

FDA-CBER-2026-0056

How To Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

A Complete Application Consists Of

• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• One educational or professional recommendation

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.FDA.CBER@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline

6/26/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

FDA Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) is one Center within the Food and Drug Administration, an Agency within the United States Government's Department of Health and Human Services. CBER's mission is to protect and enhance the public health through the regulation of biological and related products including blood, vaccines, allergenics, tissues, and cellular and gene therapies.

Research Project: This research project aims to investigate the capabilities of long-read next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies for adventitious virus detection in a complex matrix mimicking a biological test material. The results of this study will be compared to NGS analysis of virus detection in a low complexity matrix. Overall, participation in the project will contribute to advancing the use of NGS for viral safety of biologics. The study design involves using currently available model viruses to spike into a complex cell material and performing the various steps in the NGS workflow including laboratory research and bioinformatics analysis.

Learning Objectives: You will receive training in handling various viruses and gain experience in different sample processing procedures to extract nucleic acids for NGS and learning bioinformatics pipelines for virus detection. Previous experience with NGS data analysis using high performance computing as well as knowledge of cell culture and molecular assays can facilitate your training for this project. The project will also provide you unique training for handling biological materials to minimize cross-contamination and strategies for reducing introduction of contaminants.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Arifa Khan (Arifa.Khan@FDA.hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2026. 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 FDA 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 and legal permanent residents.

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA. OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA Ethics Requirements

If an ORISE Fellow, to include their spouse and minor children, reports what is identified as a Significantly Regulated Organization (SRO) or prohibited investment fund financial interest in any amount, or a relationship with an SRO, except for spousal employment with an SRO, and the individual will not voluntarily divest the financial interest or terminate the relationship, then the individual is not placed at FDA. For additional requirements, see FDA Ethics for Nonemployee Scientists.

Education

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency. This agreement covers such topics as the following:

• Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment;
• Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions;
• Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship;
• The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA;
• ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Point of Contact

Ashley

Eligibility Requirements">51 )

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
• Life Health and Medical Sciences (
• Agricultural Sciences
• Agriculture
• Agronomy and Crop Science
• Anatomy
• Animal Behavior
• Animal Health and Food Safety
• Animal Sciences
• Basic Biomedical Sciences
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics
• Biology (General)
• Biophysics
• Botany
• Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Medicine
• Computational Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Ecology
• Ecosystem Ecology
• Emergency and Incident Management
• Entomology
• Environmental Health
• Epidemiology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Food Sciences and Technology
• Genetics, including Genome Sciences
• Health Physics
• Horticulture
• Immunology
• Industrial Hygiene
• Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses
• Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology
• Medicine
• Microbiology
• Neurosciences
• Nursing
• Nutritional Sciences
• Occupational Health
• Pharmacology
• Pharmacy
• Physiology
• Plant Sciences
• Population and Community Ecology
• Population Medicine
• Public Health
• Structural Biology
• Toxicology
• Veterinary Sciences
• Virology
• Wildlife Sciences
• Zoology (General)
• Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).

Affirmation

I am a U.S. citizen, or I have lived in the United States for at least 36 out of the past 60 months. (36 months do not have to be consecutive.)

and

I have read the FDA Ethics Requirements.