Computer Science Internship Program (CSIP)
Calling all computer science graduate students with an interest in biology.
Apply your skills to the latest biological big-data challenges with a computational biology internship at one of the top cancer research institutes in the world. As part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Computer Science Internship Program (CSIP) for computer science graduate students, you will be integrated into a cutting-edge research lab, where you will help develop algorithms for data interpretation, with the goal of improving human health and advancing biological knowledge.
Research opportunities include projects at the forefront of biological imaging, computational chemistry, genomics, ecological and evolutionary modeling as well as many other subject areas. You will have access to rich data sets derived from MSK’s patient population. Join this innovative program if you are eager to learn and want to make an impact in a mission-driven biomedical realm.
Dana Pe’er, Chair of the Computational and Systems Biology Program in the Sloan Kettering Institute
Participating Faculty
Interns will work closely with a faculty member of their choosing. Participating faculty include members of the Computational and Systems Biology Program in the Sloan Kettering Institute as well as members of the Computational Oncology Service within the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in Memorial Hospital.
- Dana Pe’er, PhD, Chair, Computational and Systems Biology
- Sohrab Shah, PhD, Chief, Computational Oncology Service
- Zhirong Bao, PhD
- Michael F. Berger, PhD
- Joseph Chan, PhD
- John Chodera, PhD
- Kushal Dey, PhD
- Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD
- Caleb Lareau, PhD
- Christina Leslie, PhD
Eligibility Requirements
All candidates must meet the following conditions:
- active enrollment in a masters or PhD program in computer science, data science, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or similar field
- strong background in computer science, machine learning, or statistics
- interest in applying algorithmic approaches to biological questions
- US citizen, permanent resident, or visa holder allowing work in the United States. MSK cannot sponsor visas for this internship.
Ideal but not strictly required:
- publication in a computer science, data science, or machine-learning field
- some experience with high-throughput sequencing data
- basic knowledge of molecular biology
Internship Goals
CISP interns will:
- contribute substantively to an advanced algorithmic project centered around biological data analysis
- opportunities include focus on data science and statistical modeling, bioinformatics, and software engineering
- obtain firsthand experience with the latest challenging data sets in biology or biomedicine
- attend departmental seminars, journal clubs, and other educational opportunities
- Internships span 3-9 months and can be started at any time in the calendar year.
Housing & Benefits
- Furnished apartments in New York City will be available to rent.
- Competitive compensation offered.
- No medical benefits will be provided; interns need to maintain student benefit coverage.
Senior scientist Peter Schueffler
Computational biologists Michael Berger and Helen Won
Computational biologist Christina Leslie (right) with members of her lab
Application Details
Applications will ask for basic demographic information, CV, GitHub links to original code, and a personal statement (2000 words max) answering these questions: Why would you like to do an internship in a computational cancer biology lab? What do you hope to gain from the experience? What experience prepares you for this program (be specific about special interests and skills)? What are your career goals?
Upon rolling review of applications, you will be contacted directly for a phone/Skype interview and to seek references.