Intern (Local Community College Students Only) (Freire-CP)

Position Summary

The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is a dynamic non-profit research organization using science to impact the world. Our research groups focus on human genomic medicine, infectious disease, plants, microbial and environmental genomics, synthetic biology and biological energy, bioinformatics, and software engineering. We are looking for self-motivated, inquisitive minds to work with us in asking and finding the answers to questions that progress in the field of genomics. 

The 2026 summer internship is a fully remote/online program starting on June 16, 2026, through August 7, 2026. Occasional onsite time in the lab may be required.

Requirements:

• Currently enrolled in or will be enrolled in a Community College Fall 2026.
• Applicant’s Community College must be in San Diego County.
• Must be able to read, comprehend, and discuss relevant scientific literature with co-workers.
• Have organizational, time management skills, attention to detail, and have the flexibility to handle a variety of tasks and shifting priorities.
• Ability to work independently, while respecting the needs of a larger team.
• A commitment to scientific discovery.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Full-time attendance (40 hours per week or 8 hours per day).
• No previous experience needed.

Remote Work Environment & Physical Demands:

• The work environment is entirely remote; teammates will perform essential functions via digital platforms.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision requirements due to extended computer work.
• Use of hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard is required.

Required Application Materials

• CV or Resume: (intern will upload attachment).
• Personal Statement: (intern will upload attachment).
  • Please attach a 1-2-pg, single-spaced, personal statement that shares your interest in the internship program.
  • Address your background (academic/personal), scientific interests (what excites you), and short/long-term career goals.

2026 Potential Projects

Please indicate your top three preferences, ranking them in order 1-3 (1 being your most preferred).

I-Infectious Diseases/Immunology

Supervisor: Marcelo Freire (In person/Remote) This project focuses on the intersection of immunology and infectious disease. Spatial transcriptomics projects will be completed by analysis with R packaging. The intern will utilize informatics and analytical tools to investigate datasets related to inflammation and saliva biology. Responsibilities include informatic evaluations of data, running statistics, and active participation in virtual laboratory meetings.

II-Bioinformatics/Microbiome

Supervisor: Chris Dupont (Remote) The Dupont Group is seeking an informatics intern for microbiome research. The intern will be responsible for analyzing sequence data to infer microbial community composition and function. The project will be customized with the candidate’s skillset and interests in mind.

III-Infectious Diseases/Fungi

Supervisor: Sinem Beyhan (In person/Remote) The Beyhan lab focuses on human fungal pathogens such as Histoplasma, Coccidioides, and Candida species, which cause life-threatening infections. Our goal is to understand the pathways that cause fungal pathogenesis using multi-omics and bioinformatics. The 2026 summer internship project will focus specifically on the development of bioinformatics tools to investigate genome signatures that contribute to C. auris persistence.

IV-Bioinformatics/Infectious Disease

Supervisor: Indresh Singh (Remote) The selected candidate will collaborate closely with the Informatics Core and Infectious Disease research teams and contribute to the continued development of The Human Salivary Proteome (https://salivaryproteome.org/) an integrated resource that provides curated data, analytical tools, and interactive visualizations to advance research in salivary biomarkers and human health.

This role will focus on the design and development of data visualizations, web-based interfaces, and analytical tools to support salivary proteomics research and biomarker discovery. The intern will gain hands-on experience working with large-scale proteomic and clinical datasets, contributing to tools that enable researchers and clinicians worldwide to explore, analyze, and interpret salivary protein data for applications in human health and disease.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a teammate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Moderate noise (i.e., business office with computers, phones, printers, light traffic).
• Ability to work in a confined area.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.
• Ability to stand and/or sit for an extended period, if working in the lab.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard reach, stoop kneel to install computer equipment.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer and lab work.
• Light to moderate lifting is required.

J. Craig Venter Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.