Duke University Superfund Research Center Internship: Summer 2025
Posted: 11/7/2024
***The application period for Summer 2025 is now closed. Thank you for your interest. (1/31/2025)***
This internship program represents a collaboration between investigators at Duke University and North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
Students enrolled at Duke University and North Carolina Central University are the ONLY ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for this internship. Please see “Internship Program Details & Requirements” for additional information.
The Superfund Research Program (SRP) is a network of grants funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) designed to seek solutions to complex health and environmental issues associated with toxic chemicals found at the nation’s hazardous waste sites. The Duke University Superfund Research Center (DUSRC) focuses on early-life, low-dose exposures to toxins and their developmental impacts that may only become evident during later life stages. Our internship program is suited for students with a variety of backgrounds and interests, including environmental and exposure sciences, biomedical sciences and pre-med tracks, public health, chemistry, biology, neuropsychology, computer science, and statistics.
Meet the Duke University Superfund Research Center: https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/superfund
Descriptions of Currently Available Projects: (subject to change)
Project 2: Persisting Neurobehavioral Dysfunction Caused by Interacting Toxicant Exposures During Development: Mechanistic and Treatment Studies with Zebrafish and Rats
Project 2 focuses on understanding how early developmental exposure to toxicant mixtures cause persisting neurobehavioral dysfunction later in life. We use an effects-driven mechanistic investigation, working from the persisting neurobehavioral dysfunction in motor, emotional and cognitive function caused by early life toxicant exposures back to determine the critical mechanisms that caused the neurobehavioral toxicity. Interactions of two prototypic PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene and fluoranthene) and two heavy metals (lead and cadmium) producing persisting changes in locomotor activity, emotional dysfunction as well as attention, learning and memory impairments will be determined. Zebrafish will be used as a front-end model to assess detailed dose-effect interactions of PAH and heavy metal neurotoxicity, charting interacting dose-effect functions. Rats will be used to determine the detailed character of the neurobehavioral toxicity and mechanisms of effect.
Project 4: Neurobehavioral and bioenergetic consequences of evolving resistance to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a multi-stressor environment
The overarching goal of our project is to study pollution resistance. Exposure to chemical contaminants in aquatic ecosystems can have significant ecologically relevant fitness consequences such as mitochondrial dysfunction linked to adverse behavioral and bioenergetic outcomes. These effects may be exacerbated when exposed to multiple abiotic stressors such as changes in temperature and oxygen levels but remain poorly understood. Students will engage on projects associated with exploring these links using Atlantic killifish that have evolved resistance to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Project 5: Microencapsulation Delivery Vehicles for the Implementation of Precision Bioremediation at PAH-Contaminated Superfund Sites
Project 5 focuses on the development of bioremediation strategies for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. Traditional bioaugmentation strategies utilize PAH-degrading microbial strains in their planktonic state, but during the transition from simple lab conditions to complex field conditions, we see the failure of augmented strains to establish in contaminated environments. Our goal is to develop strategies that provide protection to PAH-degrading strains for application to contaminated sites. We are currently investigating the encapsulation of bacteria and fungi in biodegradable sodium alginate microcapsules for improved microbial growth, survival, and viability to increase PAH degradation. The intern will work on projects relating to the growth and viability of candidate microbial strains, microencapsulation strategies, and biodegradation of PAHs.
Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC)
The Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC) of Duke’s SRC focuses on development and implementation of advanced chemical measurement technologies in support of the center’s component projects. The ACC intern will work with Core staff to develop and refine new methods for detection and quantitation of chemical pollutants and metabolites such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental and biological media, per-and-polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and polar pesticides in water, lead and other toxic metals in soils and biomarker samples, tracers of wastewater such as sucralose and extraction, and neurotransmitters from model organisms used throughout the Duke’s SRC. The work will focus on one of these topic areas, depending on the current needs of the Duke SRC research teams during the internship period. The intern will gain experience on sample processing methods and state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation (e.g., liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) as they apply to environmental chemical analysis. Trainees will gain hands on experience with bench chemistry, field work, and analytical instrumentation.
Community Engagement Core (CEC) / Research Translation Core (RTC)
The Community Engagement and Research Translation Cores (CEC & RTC, respectively) work together to share the research conducted by the Superfund Center with impacted communities in ways that are equitable and accessible. We are working to develop educational activities/curricula based around environmental health and exposure topics for communities in Durham and southeastern North Carolina. More specifically, our focus is on chemical contaminant exposures in soil, homes, and wild-caught fish and helping those communities who are impacted by exposures make safer choices for themselves and their families by building environmental health literacy. This often involves direct engagement with communities in the form of helping to facilitate workshops & trainings, as well as participating in community events. In addition to helping to support work in the areas above, the summer intern will have the opportunity to attend monthly meetings with other CECs and RTCs from around the country, as well as weekly meetings with our Superfund team at Duke. For more information on our current and past work, please visit our website at https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/superfundcec/.
Potential Experiences of Specific Internship Assignments (not guaranteed):
Project 2:
Vertebrate animal work: Yes
Invertebrate animal work: No
Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No
Off-campus field work: No
Project 4:
Vertebrate animal work: Yes
Invertebrate animal work: No
Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No
Off-campus field work: Yes
Project 5:
Vertebrate animal work: No
Invertebrate animal work: No
Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No
Off-campus field work: Possibly (limited)
ACC:
Vertebrate animal work: No
Invertebrate animal work: No
Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No
Off-campus field work: Yes
CEC / RTC:
Vertebrate animal work: No
Invertebrate animal work: No
Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: Yes
Off-campus field work: Yes
Internship Program Details & Requirements:
- 8 weeks, 35 hours per week, paid hourly
- Start Date: June 2, 2025 / End Date: July 25, 2025
- Applicants should not plan to take university classes or work another job during their internship.
- Applicants should expect to participate in their internship in person (no remote participation), though prevailing health and safety precautions in effect at the time of the program will take precedence.
- Applicants must be located in North Carolina for the duration of the internship.
- Positions are open to individuals currently enrolled as an undergraduate or Master’s student at Duke University or North Carolina Central University and who are enrolled as a student at their home institution for Fall 2025. Recent graduates (e.g. Spring 2025, Fall 2024) are NOT eligible.
- Work schedules will be determined with the assigned mentor at the time of placement and may include occasional weekend or evening hours in order to complete certain experiments or tasks.
- In addition to working with their assigned project, interns are expected to participate in weekly cohort meetings and other activities, complete program assignments, and present their research at the conclusion of the program.
How to Apply:
There are 3 parts to your application:
- Email your personal letter of interest and resume/CV to SuperfundIntern@duke.edu. Your letter should describe your educational background, detail your experience and skills, and explain your interest in working with the Duke University Superfund Research Center.
- Complete a short survey through this link to rank the internship options in order of your interest: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2lBoo56sWmo7SYe
- One (1) letter of recommendation in support of your application. Your recommender must send their letter of recommendation directly to SuperfundIntern@duke.edu.
All applications received in their entirety (survey, letter of interest, resume/CV, and letter of recommendation) by January 14, 2025, will be reviewed and considered. Applications missing any of the above components by this date may be overlooked during the review process. Applications received after January 14, 2025, will be considered if internship openings are still available after all prior applicants have been considered.
Questions? Contact SuperfundIntern@duke.edu
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Duke University Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program postdoctoral positions
Posted: 9/19/2024
The Duke University Program in Environmental Health, part of the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program (ITEHP), is pleased to announce two T32-supported postdoctoral positions, available immediately. The positions will remain open until filled.
These are unique positions explicitly designed to encourage and support interdisciplinary and independent research and training that will launch the postdoctoral fellows’ careers. We seek applicants with excellent research backgrounds, strong publication records, strong letters of recommendation, and clear, independent research visions articulated in a three-page Research Proposal. We expect appointments to typically last a minimum of two years with good progress; this period may be extended. We will consider all outstanding applicants from diverse disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Health, etc.), including those whose dissertation research was not explicitly Environmental Health-oriented, but who wish to move to an Environmental Health focus.
Project Development. Prior to writing an application, applicants should contact at least two ITEHP faculty members with whom they propose to work to discuss a possible research project and how the project will synergize with and extend the research being conducted by the individual PIs. Feedback from potential mentors is welcome and should be incorporated, but the principal intellectual development and writing must be the applicant’s.
Research Proposal. The successful postdoctoral candidates will propose a project that is interdisciplinary and innovative, creatively combining the candidate’s own background with the expertise of two ITEHP PIs from different disciplines in ways that build on at least one of the two PIs’ existing grant support. The proposal should merge and extend existing research of the two PIs into a single research project that complements each of the PIs. It should result in a novel, independent research project that the postdoc will be able to develop for other independent grants and, if they wish, take with them upon obtaining a permanent job after postdoctoral training. The research proposal should be no more than three pages (11-point font, half-inch margins, single spacing; not including references), and should include a paragraph clearly delineating the ways in which the proposed project is synergistic with both PIs’ existing projects and will be supported by the PIs’ expertise, as well as the ways in which the proposal represents an independent, non-overlapping project.
Letters of Support from Sponsoring PIs. The applicant must include Letters of Support from the sponsoring PIs with their application. The PIs’ Letters of Support must contain explicit statements that the project proposed will be available for the postdoc to take with them when they move on, and indicate the degree to which the proposal development and writing was done by the applicant.
Additional materials:
- A one-page letter of interest describing your background and career goals
- Your CV
- Three letters of support from people familiar with your research
- Two letters of support from the ITEHP sponsoring PIs
Support: Salary support and benefits follow the NIH scale. Research support will be split between PI’s grants and independent funds in the amount of $10,000/year for each postdoc. This additional, independent research funding will enable independent and creative research directions that would not be supported by the PI’s grant support.
The Research Environment at Duke: Postdoctoral candidates will join a strong interdisciplinary group of researchers at Duke. The ITEHP evolved from the Integrated Toxicology Program that was founded in 1978 in the Medical Center. Today, ITEHP has evolved into a highly interdisciplinary program encompassing three Schools (Medicine, Environment, and Engineering), and multiple Departments and Programs.
Core research strengths of the ITEHP are basic, translational and clinical medical research; pharmacology and toxicology; molecular biology; exposure science; epidemiology and public health; statistics and computational biology; environmental science; and environmental engineering. Multiple interdisciplinary environmental health-relevant Centers exist on campus, including the Superfund Research Center, the NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr) focused on studying the built microbiome, microbial dark matter, and engineering the built environment to promote better health outcomes; the NIEHS-funded Duke lab hub for the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource) program, the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (NEST) longitudinal birth cohort, the Children’s Health and Discovery Initiative (CHDI) of the Duke School of Medicine, an initiative on Environmental Exposures and Kidney Health, the HOPE 1000 (Health Outcomes related to Pregnancy and early-life Exposures) longitudinal observational study of 1000 pregnant women and their infants based at the Duke Medical Center, the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory that sponsors research on the sources, fate, transport, and human exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in North Carolina, the International Network For Researching, Advancing, and Assessing Materials for Environmental Sustainability (INFRAMES), and more.
Our location in the Research Triangle area fosters direct interaction between UPEH faculty and trainees with investigators at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI). The atmosphere and resources for training in this field are further enhanced by related programs at three neighboring universities: North Carolina Central University (NCCU), North Carolina State University (NCSU), and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH).
Duke University is strongly committed to advancing inclusive excellence throughout our research, teaching, and service activities. Diversity – defined broadly as representing a wide range of identities, lived experiences, and perspectives – is a prerequisite for excellence and is essential to driving innovation within our scholarly community. To achieve these goals, it is essential that all members of the community feel valued and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community are expected to uphold these values, and we seek to hire faculty who are passionate about increasing the participation and success of individuals from all different backgrounds and communities.
Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Per the terms of the grant, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents enrolled in a research or clinical doctoral or postdoctoral program.
Please contact Jessica Straehle (jessica.straehle@duke.edu) with any questions.