To qualify for participation in the BioTrain Internship program, an applicant must have graduated high school and be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university in the state of Alabama OR be a permanent resident of the state of Alabama and currently enrolled in an accredited college or university in a different state. Students who will graduate from college before the summer internship begins are still eligible to apply if they are enrolled and currently attending a college or university at the time of application to BioTrain.

NOTE: Your eligibility status is determined by the date you submit your application.

Thus, if you submit your application in January or February and you will graduate from college in May, you are still considered a currently enrolled student and are eligible to apply for an internship.  It does not matter that you will have graduated before the internship actually begins.

Also, currently in high school when the application window is open in January and February, you are NOT eligible to apply, even if you will graduate from high school in May and have already been accepted to a college or university.

High school students are not eligible to participate in the BioTrain Internship Program.

Undergraduates and graduate students up to the Master’s degree level are eligible. Students working towards a PhD are not eligible for this program.

If the applicant is under the age of 18 at the beginning of the internship program, the applicant must provide an Alabama work permit prior to the first day. All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. HudsonAlpha is not able to sponsor work visas for our internship program. If selected, applicants must be able to show proof of U.S citizenship or proof of eligibility to work in the United States.

This summer program spans nine continuous weeks. At this time BioTrain does not offer any internships during the school year. For participants to derive the most benefit from their research/work experience they should plan to be present for the entirety of the internship, and therefore it is expected that you will not undertake other organized activities that conflict with the times of this appointment, including enrollment in summer courses or summer vacations.

If you are interested in a 20 hour per week internship and would like to take summer courses, please notify us after you complete your application at biotrain@hudsonalpha.org. The supervisor and the intern will determine the final weekly schedules.  We require that you schedule your courses so that they do not coincide with either Biotech BootCamp or with the weekly professional development meetings on Mondays from 11:30-12:30 pm. Please be advised that both of these are required activities of the internship, and scheduling conflicts with those events may impact your chances at receiving and/or retaining an internship at HudsonAlpha.

The HudsonAlpha BioTrain Internship program is a small and highly competitive program. Internship positions are available in associate company and HudsonAlpha labs, bioinformatics, communications, economic development and education.

In order to be considered, complete applications and all recommendation letters MUST be received by the deadline date. View all of the position descriptions through the links found at hudsonalpha.org/biotrain. Select three positions for which you are most interested and feel most qualified. Ranking your selections is not required.  

In addition to your demographic data, you will need the following:

1. A resume
2. An essay addressing the following topics (500 word maximum):
   • What interests you in science (or a specialized area) and why?
   • How does this internship support your interest and professional goals?
   • What strengths would you bring to the internship?
   • Let us know something about yourself that we might not learn from the rest of this application.
3. Two letters of recommendation from a college or university faculty member or other mentors that can speak to your ability to work in the scientific community.

You must provide:

• The full name of the recommendation writer
• Their professional title (such as Professor, Doctor of Internal Medicine, Lab Manager, etc.)
• Their affiliation (where they work or teach – such as University of Alabama in Huntsville, Birmingham Pediatrics, Conversant Biologics)
• A verified email address for the recommendation writer (be sure to provide the correct address or the writer will not receive a request to provide a letter for you.)

It is highly recommended that you contact your proposed recommenders to ensure they will be able to submit a letter of reference for you before the February 22 deadline. A notification will be sent to the reference’s email address with a unique link to the recommendation page for your application. The webpage will provide submission details and instructions for completing the required information. This link is the only way that a recommendation writer will be able to submit their letters of support.  The applicant or the authors cannot mail recommendation letters to BioTrain.

Upon submission of reference letters, confirmation notifications will be sent to both the reference writer and the applicant. All letters of recommendation must be received no later than 11 pm CST, February 22nd. Any letters received after that time and date will not be included in the applicant’s application packet and may disqualify an applicant from consideration.

Recommendation writers should address the following items in the letter of support:

1. • How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity?
   • What are the strengths of the applicant that give you confidence that he/she will excel in the program?
   • How do you see the internship benefiting the applicant both personally and academically?
   • Any additional information that might be useful.

You must complete all application fields before you can submit your online application. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted or considered. In order for your application to be considered complete, two letters of recommendation from your references must be submitted online by 11 pm CST, February 22.

All applicants will be notified of status via email or phone by the end of March 24. Inquiries regarding acceptance of individual applications will not be entertained. If you need to withdraw your application at any time, please email biotrain@hudsonalpha.org.

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Consistent with its obligations under federal law, each company that is a federal contractor or subcontractor is committed to taking affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified women, minorities, disabled individuals and veterans.

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology provides accessibility service for job seekers who require an accommodation in the job application process. This may include individuals needing assistance due to hearing, vision, mobility, or cognitive impairments, for example. If you are a job seeker with a disability, or are assisting someone with a disability, and require accessibility assistance or an accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, please submit a request by telephone at (256) 327-0400 or contact biotrain@hudsonalpha.org.

2024 Application:

• Open online on January 15, 2023
• Close on February 15, 2023, at 11 pm CST
• Applications will not be available after this date, and no late applications will be reviewed or considered.
• Recommendation letters due February 22, 2024
• All applicants will be notified of their status via email or phone by March 24, 2024

Summer 2024 BioTrain Internships:

• Biotech Boot Camp (required) –Tuesday, May 28 through Friday, May 31, 2024, 8 am to 5 pm
• Internship – June 3 – July 26, 2023 (about 30 hours/week; schedule determined by supervisor and intern)
• Professional Development Luncheons – Mondays, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (required)
• Poster Presentation to HudsonAlpha community – Friday, July 26, 2023, 11 am to 1 pm

The BioTrain Internship program is a part-time employment program. Interns should work no more than 30 hours per week for a total of nine weeks during the program.* All deductions required by federal and state law will be processed through payroll.  Payroll will be processed twice during the internship: at the end of June and the end of July. Housing is available to a limited number of students who attend schools in the state of Alabama or are legal residents of the state of Alabama but do not reside within driving distance of HudsonAlpha. Housing is provided at no cost to the intern at the University of Alabama in Huntsville dormitories.

Interns receive stipends for the nine-week program.

• 20 hours/week – $2700
• 25 hours/week – $3375
• 30 hours/week – $4000

HudsonAlpha does not issue college credit. However, we can work with your school to complete the necessary documentation so that you can receive credit through your institution.

We do not have the capacity to support volunteer positions in the research labs. Applicants interested in volunteering as support for general HudsonAlpha activities can find more information at hudsonalpha.org/support/volunteer.

Biotech Boot Camp is a weeklong basic training program for new BioTrain interns. Biotech Boot Camp will run May 28 – 31, 2024, from 8 am to 5 pm each day. This experience is a requirement for all new BioTrain interns.

BioTrain expects to have limited housing available at no additional cost for participants selected from outside of the greater Huntsville area. Participants will be housed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. However, transportation to and from HudsonAlpha will not be provided. Although housing is expected to be offered on this limited basis, the availability is subject to change as funding permits.