HHS BARDA Medical Countermeasures Program (MCMP) Fellowship

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance stipend

Mentored research training

Job summary

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) offers a hybrid fellowship with BARDA within HHS for the Medical Countermeasures Program (MCMP). The opportunity, located in the Washington, DC metro area, provides mentored research experiences in diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines against emerging pathogens. Applicants must be U.S.

citizens and will participate up to 40 hours per week. Start date is flexible; appointment is for one year with possible renewal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in a relevant field.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written).
• Ability to think critically, analyze data, and work independently.

Responsibilities

• Engage in mentored research activities related to diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines.
• Collaborate across government, academia, and industry research environments.
• Contribute to literature reviews, data analysis, and preparation of scientific communications.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Critical thinking

Independent initiative

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Doctoral degree

Job description

Organization

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Reference Code

HHS-BARDA-2026-0001

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location

An ORISE fellowship opportunity is available with the Medical Countermeasures Program (MCMP) within the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).This mentored research training opportunity is located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and may include in-person participation at BARDA offices in Washington, D.C. or Maryland.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and biomedical science.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for public health emergencies and disasters. Within ASPR, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) supports the advanced research, development, and procurement of medical countermeasures needed to prepare for and respond to health security threats. The Medical Countermeasures Program (MCMP) contributes to these efforts by supporting scientific and strategic activities related to the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, and other technologies addressing emerging infectious diseases and high-priority public health threats.

Please Visit Www.medicalcountermeasures.gov To Learn More About BARDA.

Project Description

This research project focuses on emerging infectious diseases and scientific approaches used to advance the development of medical countermeasures for high-priority viral threats. The project explores platform-based strategies for diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, as well as methods used to strengthen preparedness and rapid-response capabilities for known and emerging pathogens. Research activities may include scientific literature analysis, evaluation of preclinical and clinical research findings, assessment of epidemiologic trends, and examination of biomedical technologies and product development strategies. The project also examines regulatory science considerations and evidence-based approaches that contribute to public health preparedness research and medical countermeasure innovation.

Learning Objectives

This opportunity is intended to provide exposure to multidisciplinary collaboration across government, academic, and industry research environments while expanding your understanding of the scientific and public health considerations that support national health security preparedness. Through this mentored research training experience, you will develop knowledge of pandemic influenza preparedness, emerging infectious disease research, and the scientific principles underlying vaccine development and evaluation. You may gain experience applying bioinformatics and computational approaches to genomic surveillance, analysis of influenza sequence data, and interpretation of antigenic and immunologic datasets associated with candidate vaccine research. This opportunity is intended to strengthen your skills in scientific data analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific communication, and evaluation of scientific literature related to influenza viruses with pandemic potential. You will also gain broader exposure to translational research and public health preparedness activities that contribute to the development of medical countermeasures and pandemic response capabilities.

Mentor

The mentor for this opportunity is Felicia Harris ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

Flexible; the start date will depend on the selection and onboarding process.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of BARDA and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Place, Level of Participation, & Schedule (Hybrid)

The program will operate under a hybrid participation model. Selected fellows will be required to report to BARDA’s Washington, DC office up to three times per week, as directed by their Mentor and based on program and training needs. Fellows will participate on a full-time basis, up to 40 hours per week. A flexible schedule may be available based on program and training needs. Fellows are expected to be available during the program’s core hours of 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on scheduled participation days. The specific schedule may be established or requested by the assigned Mentor.

As BARDA is an emergency response agency, fellows may also be required to participate on weekends and federal holidays when necessary to maximize training opportunities and gain exposure to emergency response activities. Such participation will be based on operational and training needs and coordinated by the assigned Mentor.

Participant Stipend

The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. You must maintain health insurance coverage throughout your appointment, you will be offered a health insurance stipend to help offset the cost of coverage.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Preferred Skills

• Strong oral and written skills
• Critical thinking and data analysis
• Independence, self-motivation, and the ability to take initiative

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Bio-inorganic Chemistry
  • Bio-organic Chemistry
  • Biophysical Chemistry
  • Chemistry (General)
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Sciences
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Theoretical Chemistry
• Communications and Graphics Design (2 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (1 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )
      • Mathematics and Statistics (1 )