Computational Biologist Intern

Biohub is leading the new era of AI-powered biology to cure or prevent disease through its 501c3 medical research organization, with the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The Team

The Biohub is a group of nonprofit research institutes that bring together scientists, engineers, and physicians with the goal of pursuing grand scientific challenges on 10- to 15-year time horizons. The Biohub focuses on understanding underlying mechanisms of disease and developing new technologies that will lead to actionable diagnostics and effective therapies.

Our Vision

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at the Biohub facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of Biohub and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The Opportunity

The Biohub in San Francisco is seeking highly motivated PhD-level students to join our 10-week Summer Internship Program, running from June 16, 2026, to August 21, 2026. Computational Biology Interns are embedded within active research teams and contribute directly to ongoing scientific programs. Each project is thoughtfully scoped to be achievable within the internship timeframe while delivering meaningful scientific and technical impact.

Interns will spend the summer immersed in real-world research alongside biomedical researchers, research scientists, data scientists, and engineers. In addition to gaining hands-on experience in computational analysis and biological data interpretation, interns will develop critical professional skills—including scientific communication, problem-solving, and cross-disciplinary collaboration—and will have opportunities to build relationships with scientists who provide mentorship, guidance, and career insight.

Available Project Areas (Summer 2026)
Computational Cryo-Electron Tomography Analysis for Cilia Biology
This project focuses on developing and evaluating computational workflows for analyzing cryo–electron tomography (cryoET) data from primary cilia—disease-relevant organelles central to cellular signaling. The intern will work with real in situ cryoET datasets generated using focused ion beam (FIB) milling and advanced electron microscopy techniques.

In close collaboration with experimental and computational partners, the intern will contribute to data quality assessment, automated annotation (including segmentation and particle picking), benchmarking of computational methods, and workflow documentation. The project emphasizes applying and stress-testing automated analysis tools on challenging biological datasets to support scalable, reproducible cryoET analysis.

By the end of the internship, the intern will have helped deliver a tested and well-documented computational analysis pipeline tailored to cilia cryoET data, along with clear benchmarks of automated method performance on in situ samples.

What You'll Do

• Receive support through a 10-week experience
• Receive mentorship to support your personal and professional development
• Gain and enhance your technical and transferable skills through training and seminars
• Learn how to design, plan, and carry out laboratory and/or computational scientific experiments
• Present at the end-of-program symposium
• Build relationships with peers and colleagues

What You'll Bring

• Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physics, engineering, computer science, or a life science–related field
• Demonstrated programming experience in languages such as Python, MATLAB, C++, ROS, or similar
• Interest in hardware automation, imaging systems, robotics, or instrumentation-driven research
• Prior research experience through coursework, academic projects, or internships
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team
• Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills

Program Eligibility

• Must be a current undergraduate student (enrolled full time at a college or university both Spring 2026 AND Fall 2026 terms)
• Must be able to commit to the 10-week Summer Internship Program June 16, 2026, to August 21, 2026.
• Must be able to be on-site at the Biohub in San Francisco for the duration of the program

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for a new hire in this role is $56.73/hour - $78.26/hour. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

What We Provide 

• Hands-on, one-of-a-kind experience
• Hourly compensation
• Invaluable relationships
• Trainings and seminars
• Social events/activities

Housing & Work Location

Interns are responsible for securing and paying for their own housing for the duration of the internship. This internship is fully on-site, and interns are expected to be present on-site for the full program duration. The organization does not provide housing or housing stipends as part of the internship program.

What to Expect: Application & Program Timeline

We aim to make our internship hiring process transparent and predictable. Below is the anticipated timeline for the Summer 2026 Program:

• January 16, 2026 – Applications open
• February 1, 2026 – Application deadline
  • All application materials must be submitted by this date for full consideration.
• Late January – February 2026 – Application review & interviews
  • Applications will be reviewed by the recruiting and research teams. Selected candidates will be invited to interviews during this period.
• March 2026 – Offers extended and finalized
  • Internship offers will be extended on a rolling basis, with all offers expected to be accepted by early March.
• June 16 – August 21, 2026 – Summer Internship Program
  • Interns join Biohub for a 10-week, immersive research experience, concluding with an end-of-program symposium.

Dates are subject to minor adjustments; candidates will be kept informed throughout the process.

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