VI4 Science Communication Internship in partnership with 
This internship provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary graduate students to work with the VI4 Project Manager each semester to learn about and execute creative communication strategies through both traditional and social media platforms. They will learn to craft the perfect caption, write a compelling editorial, and design infographics and animations. In addition, they work together on a group project, ImmuKnow+, which aims to incorporate different elements of science communication.
What do the interns do?
- Generate written content and images on current research and discoveries
- Monitor and post on social networks
- Curate and report on faculty and trainee publications
- Produce engaging content in the VI4/PMI self-serve video studio
- Design graphic materials to accompany various communications
- Contribute to website design
- Assist in making marketing and creative materials for community outreach programs
Internship Details:
- Internship runs on a semester basis, with the opportunity to extend to the following semester pending review.
- Internship is unpaid.
- Part-time (~10 hours per week), flexible and a mix of on campus and remote work.
Eligibility:
- Internship participants must be a current Vanderbilt University Ph.D. student or a current postdoctoral fellow both during the application period and for the duration of the internship.
- All Ph.D. students must have completed all coursework for their degree prior to the start of the internship.
- Biomedical Ph.D. students must also have passed their qualifying exams before the application deadline.
Fall 2025 application will open in May 2024.
ASPIRE Internship FAQs
Meet the Spring 2024 Interns
KeAndreya Morrison is a Ph.D. candidate at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She works in Dr. Tina Iverson's lab at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Pharmacology. Her research is focused on gaining a greater understanding of the relationship between hosts and pathogens by elucidating the mechanism behind streptococcal bacteria binding to human cells via glycan-protein interactions.
Cherie Saffold is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. She conducts research in Dr. Heather Pua’s laboratory, where she studies how cells package and export small RNAs in extracellular vesicles.
Meet the Spring 2024 Interns
KeAndreya Morrison is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She works in Dr. Tina Iverson's lab at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Pharmacology. Her research is focused on gaining a greater understanding of the relationship between hosts and pathogens by elucidating the mechanism behind streptococcal bacteria binding to human cells via glycan-protein interactions.
Cherie Saffold is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. She conducts research in Dr. Heather Pua’s laboratory, where she studies how cells package and export small RNAs in extracellular vesicles.
Past Interns
Fall 2023 - Alexandra Abu-Shmais
Spring 2023 - Alexandra Abu-Shmais, Kaitlyn Browning, Casey Butrico, Matt Vukovich, and Rachael Wolters
Fall 2022 - Kaitlyn Browning, Casey Butrico, Helen Parrington, and Steven Walker
Spring 2022 - Kaitlyn Browning and Helen Parrington
Fall 2021 - Taylor Engdahl, Adriana Norris, and Helen Parrington
Spring 2021 - Taylor Engdahl, Sara Melow, and Sohini Roy, Ph.D.
Fall 2020 - Caroline Cencer, Christopher Hofmann, and Sohini Roy, Ph.D.