FDA Research Opportunity - Dengue Neutralization Assay

Organization
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reference Code
FDA-CBER-2026-0058
How to Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• One educational or professional recommendation

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.FDA.CBER@orau.org . Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline
6/26/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

FDA Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Office of Vaccines Research and Review (OVRR), Division of Viral Products (DVP), at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in Silver Spring, Maryland. This is for viral vaccine research for those who are interested in hands-on, laboratory-based research.

The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) is one Center within the Food and Drug Administration, an Agency within the United States Government's Department of Health and Human Services. CBER's mission is to protect and enhance the public health through the regulation of biological and related products including blood, vaccines, allergenics, tissues, and cellular and gene therapies.

Research Project: DVP employees are actively engaged in research on a variety of viral pathogens as well as live and inactivated vaccines. The DVP is located at the FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland and is part of the CBER research program, which includes more than 70 principal investigators. These investigators, whom the fellow will learn from and engage with, lead research teams in the fields of virology, bacteriology and gene therapy employing state-of-the-art techniques to address public health issues as part of the CBER mission. In addition to BSL-3, ABSL-3 and animal care facilities, the newly built laboratory complex at White Oak includes core facilities, such as flow cytometry and confocal and electron microscopy.

The focus of this fellowship is to develop and apply methods to evaluate viral vaccines, including their strength, durability of immune responses, performance across different platforms, and safety profiles. The fellowship emphasizes rigorous bench research, and scientific integrity. In particular, the selected ORISE fellow will be engaged in developing and optimizing a novel neutralization method that accurately measures serotype-specific neutralizing antibody against four Dengue virus serotypes.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn the scientific principles of viral immunology and vaccine development, including live and inactivated platforms.
• Learn to design, develop, and optimize neutralization assays to measure serotype-specific antibody responses to all four Dengue virus serotypes.
• Learn to evaluate vaccine potency, durability of immune responses, cross-platform performance, and safety using rigorous laboratory methods.
• Learn advanced virology techniques and apply state-of-the-art technologies such as flow cytometry and microscopy in high-containment laboratory settings.
• Learn to analyze, interpret, and communicate complex immunological data with scientific rigor and integrity.
• Learn to collaborate within multidisciplinary research teams to support regulatory science and public health decision-making.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Tony Wang (Tony.Wang@fda.hhs.gov ). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years, but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. 

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only.

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA.  OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA Ethics Requirements

If an ORISE Fellow, to include their spouse and minor children, reports what is identified as a Significantly Regulated Organization (SRO) or prohibited investment fund financial interest in any amount, or a relationship with an SRO, except for spousal employment with an SRO, and the individual will not voluntarily divest the financial interest or terminate the relationship, then the individual is not placed at FDA. For additional requirements, see FDA Ethics for Nonemployee Scientists . 

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency.  This agreement covers such topics as the following:

• Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment;
• Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions;
• Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship;
• The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA;
• ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received or be currently pursuing a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or is anticipated to be received by 6/30/2026.

Point of Contact
Ashley
Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 6/30/2026 12:00:00 AM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (6 )

Affirmation

I am a U.S. citizen, or I have lived in the United States for at least 36 out of the past 60 months. (36 months do not have to be consecutive.)
and
I have read the FDA Ethics Requirements.

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