Clinical Research Internships 2024-2025 - Hybrid and Remote

Clinical Research Internships  

Summer Scholars 2024 and Academic Year 2023/2024 and 2024/2025

*Check with your school's Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting the hiring offer to determine if this position satisfies the criteria for receiving academic credit*

Applications are currently being invited for remote, partially remote, and on-site Clinical Research Internships at the Nathan S. Kline Institute (NKI) in Orangeburg, NY. The NKI fosters a collaborative environment where interns have the opportunity to gain excellent clinical and research experience. NKI internships are unpaid; however, we are committed to supporting efforts to secure funding through university scholarships or other sources. We will also collaborate with your university for course credits, if applicable. 

Please Note: The Nathan S. Kline Institute is a research facility of the New York State Office of Mental Health. We voluntarily follow all the guidelines for unpaid internships as outlined in Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/71-flsa-internships

The 2023/2024 academic year internships require a minimum of two days/16 hours per week. Considering the projects involved and the level of training required, preference is given to applicants who can make a commitment of more than one academic semester. Other arrangements are possible on a case-by-case basis.

The NKI Summer Scholars 2024 program is a full-time (30-40 hours per week), immersive experience. A diverse group of student scholars are matched to research mentors based on interest, skill set, and the fit with each laboratory’s summer research goals. Summer Scholars participate in weekly seminars that cover topics across the areas of expertise of the multidisciplinary NKI scientists. Internship projects typically focus on study implementation and data collection or data analysis and manuscript preparation. Other opportunities include program development focused on community engagement and outreach. Given the seminar schedule and benefits of peer exchanges, the Summer Scholars program has a fixed schedule, beginning the first Monday of June and concluding the first Wednesday of August. ​The Summer Scholars program has a mission of inclusivity and is therefore committed to offering fully remote and hybrid opportunities in addition to on-site experiences. 

Research internships are ideally suited to students who are seeking research experience in preparation for planning a career in either behavioral or clinical research or clinical practice. Undergraduate coursework in biology, psychology, or neuroscience and research methods/statistics is recommended. Career goals well-suited to our training opportunities may include but are not limited to Psychologists, Social Workers, Neuroscientists, Psychiatrists, Statisticians, Epidemiologists, Public Health Researchers, and Data Scientists.

The NKI Clinical Research Internship Program offers five tracks with potential placement throughout the Institute: General Clinical Research, Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation Research, Behavioral Health / Cardiorespiratory Fitness Clinical Research, Neuropsychology Focused Clinical Research, and Education / Outreach. 

General Research Track: This internship includes the opportunity to assist with implementation and data management across several ongoing research programs. For example, the NKI-Rockland Sample Initiative (NKI-RSI) is a large-scale, open-science, research program focused on understanding brain maturation and brain health, and mental health relationships across the lifespan utilizing innovative MRI-based imaging approaches and in-depth clinical research assessments. NKI faculty in the Clinical Research Department conduct studies that characterize aspects of mental health and examine therapeutics targeting symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. NKI faculty in Social Solutions and Services Research examine social and structural determinants of health that impact mental health and substance use. Additional opportunities may exist across the diverse range of NKI research programs.  

Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation Track: The Center for Biomedical Imaging Neuromodulation (C-BIN) is dedicated to the development, refinement, and application of innovative MRI- and EEG-based imaging approaches to characterize brain maturation across the lifespan, with a particular focus on understanding the impact of psychiatric illnesses on maturational processes. This internship includes opportunities to assist with the quality assessment, processing, and analysis of functional and structural MRI data, to assist in the identification and implementation of novel algorithms for data analysis, to assist in the interpretation of findings and preparation of reports, and to assist in identifying literature that is relevant to methods and findings. 

Behavioral Health / Cardiorespiratory Fitness Research Track: When available, this internship is focused on the administration of a submaximal cardio-respiratory fitness assessment in the context of a large-scale research program that investigates brain-health-behavior relationships. This experience is ideally suited to candidates who are completing undergraduate degrees with a focus on sports medicine or kinesiology, or who want to pursue careers in behavioral health, physical therapy, or fitness training.  

Neuropsychology Focused Research Track: This internship includes opportunities to assist with test administration, data management, and/or data analysis and manuscript preparation on mentored research projects or contribute to ongoing projects.  

Education / Outreach Track: This internship includes the opportunity to assist with community engagement and recruitment activities for research studies throughout NKI such as identifying ways to increase the community's awareness of research initiatives and public educational programming in addition to developing and implementing outreach strategies for the recruitment of community participants in research. A focus of this internship is on the consideration of equity in the participation of traditionally underrepresented communities in clinical and cognitive science research. Some graphic design experience is helpful. 

APPLICATION TIMELINE: We typically begin reviewing Summer Scholar candidates in mid-November and begin interviewing in mid-December. Summer Scholar offers will be made starting in early January. We request a commitment no later than the end of February. Academic Year candidates are reviewed starting in mid-November the year prior. We generally complete interviews and send offers for the next Fall/Spring Full Academic Year by March/April. It is recommended that you submit your application as early as you can; however, we consider rolling applications throughout the year if openings become available.

The expiration date posted for the Handshake listing is not the date we stop accepting applications as we accept applications on a rolling basis.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit all applications through Handshake. Your application is unlikely to receive full consideration unless you submit all the requested information.

Please choose one of the five internship tracks. If the general track, please also include the research program of interest. If you would like to be considered broadly, be sure to indicate that in addition to any specific interest in particular disorders or narrowly defined tracks.

Send a resume, which includes GPA, and a cover letter describing how your prior experience, skill sets, and future career goals are a good match for the internship track you selected. Please also discuss perceived gaps in your current training. For example, you may not have had an opportunity to work directly with participants or to translate statistical analyses from a class to a real dataset. Please highlight how you hope to develop those areas through this internship and how it will advance your progress toward your specific goals. 

PLEASE NOTE: Not all tracks and opportunities are available at all times. We accept applications on a rolling basis. When a position becomes available and the investigator believes that you may be a good fit for the research program, we will contact you; otherwise, you may not hear from us. Some educational institutions require prior approval before the start of an internship. It is the responsibility of the student to check with their institution to be sure they meet any requirements before they accept a position.

Contact information: We prefer to be contacted through Handshake or at Applications@nki.rfmh.org. Please do not attempt to contact us through the Nathan Kline Institute website.

Kristin Dietz Trautman, LCSW

Research Scientist

Co-Director, NKI Internship Program

Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research

Orangeburg, NY 10962

Applications@nki.rfmh.org