Opportunities

The Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory (FARIL) is a multidisciplinary platform not only focused on foot and ankle but also on all the musculoskeletal systems for research, innovation, and education and serves as a unique environment where clinicians, researchers, and engineers work together and share their expertise. This stimulates high-quality, clinically relevant research and innovation while providing various opportunities to do clinical, experimental, and biomechanical research, design tools, instruments, implants, and new techniques, gain experience with how to translate the outcomes of your research into practice, collaborate with other peers, decision-makers, and stakeholders in the field, commercialize your solutions, author published research. Research opportunities are available across our areas of expertise mentioned above. FARIL provides a lot of opportunities for those who are interested in changing the world of orthopedics; take them or not, use them or not; it is on you!

We offer the following academic research opportunities:

1. Research Internship (Short-term)

Participants in this program should be committed to participating for a minimum of 12 weeks (3 months) based on their schedule (full-time preferred). The program is unfunded; however, individual financial support might be available based on the type of project and the presence of financial support.

Qualifications:

• Undergraduate*/ Graduate/ Osteopathic/ Medical students enrolled in accredited programs
• US Citizen/Permanent resident
• Biostatistics familiarity
• Programming and coding skills are preferred
• Onsite presence is preferred
  
  *High school students should contact us before filling out the application. They should provide a sponsor’s approval (usually their parents) during the onboarding process.
  
  A kind note from the program director:
  While this position requires at least 12 weeks of commitment, we strongly recommend a longer involvement. This is because onboarding, completing training sessions, enrolling in our research and clinical platforms, and becoming fully oriented with FARIL’s research processes can be time-intensive. A longer commitment will help ensure you can successfully complete your projects and maximize the benefits of the program.

2. Research Internship (Long-term)

This program is built for MD/DO students in the US who want to take a gap year to enrich their resume for residency applications and other purposes. Participants in this program will be enrolled as long-term research interns for a period of 9 months (minimum) to 1 year. The program is unfunded; however, we will support the students to participate in orthopaedic conferences if their projects are accepted for presentation for up to $2,000/year. Further financial support might be available if sponsored/funded projects are assigned to the student, where available and applicable. Through this program, the students will be able to not only conduct and participate in multiple research projects under the supervision of experts in the field but also will have the chance to shadow and observe clinicians from different subspecialties in clinics and the operation room.

Qualifications:

• MD/DO students enrolled in accredited programs in the US
• US Citizen/Permanent resident
• Biostatistics familiarity
• Scientific writing skills
• One recommendation letter from a previous/current supervisor, preferably in the field of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Onsite presence at FARIL (Weston and Boston locations) during the time of the program.

3. Research Internship for Data/AI Engineers

This position is specifically for trainees and students focused on data science and various aspects of AI engineering, including but not limited to machine learning, natural language processing, deep learning, data analytics, image analysis, 3D design, statistical analysis, software, and web design. Participants should be committed to participating for a minimum of 6 months. The program is unfunded. However, we support the researchers in entrepreneurship initiatives if they are interested.

Qualifications:

• Being able to work with a team of clinical and biomedical researchers
• Experience in developing machine learning algorithms (Python programming experience is preferred).
• Familiarity with deploying the models into web-based platforms and/or software/UI development is highly preferred

4. International Research Intern (Short-Term)

This program is offered to train international students, MD graduates, and clinical researchers with limited experience in research who are willing to expand their knowledge and learn more about orthopaedic research and innovation. The program is for 6 months (minimum) to 1 year. The position is unfunded*; however, we support researchers to apply for grants and funding opportunities.

Qualifications:

• MD/DO candidates and/or PhD candidates or recently graduated
• Excellent proficiency in the English language
• Enrolled in an educational program such as MPH, MBA, PhD or post-doc program is preferred
• Excellent experience in orthopaedic research (at least 1 peer-reviewed publication as the first author is preferred)
• Familiarity with fundamentals of Biostatistics
• Programming and coding skills are preferred
• One recommendation letter from previous/current supervisors

5. International Research Fellow (Long-Term)

This program is for 1-2 years and can be extended according to the conditions. The position is unfunded*; however, we will support the candidate’s applications for grants and funding opportunities.

Qualifications:

• MD/PhD (with experience in orthopaedic research and innovation)
• Enrollment in a higher education program (MD, PhD, Postdoc, or equivalents) is preferred.
• Excellent proficiency in the English language
• At least 3 peer-reviewed publications as first author**
• Biostatistics familiarity
• Programming and coding skills are valuable skillsets.
• Two letters of Recommendation from previous/current supervisors

* Funds might be provided if the projects receive financial support per the US national and our institutional rules.
** This condition might vary per the applicant’s resume and qualifications.

6. Research Fellow / Post-Doc position (Academic Research Career Pathway)

This position is for candidates who are willing to commit to at least 2.5 years to work in FARIL as a post-doc researcher. The candidate will be fully or partially funded based on his/her qualifications and the condition of the project(s) he/she is working on.

Note: The availability of this position depends on the availability of funding resources at our center. Please contact us prior to your application for further information.

Qualifications:

• MD/DO or MD-PhD
• US Citizen or permanent resident
• At least 5 peer-reviewed publications as the first author*
• Solid knowledge of biostatistics
• Aims for a long-term career in academic medicine and/or an appointment at Harvard Medical School
• Programming and coding skills are highly preferred
• Need to have two letters of support from previous/current supervisors

* This condition might vary per the applicant’s resume and qualifications.

7. OrthoPhD/FARIL International Program

To learn more, please visit https://orthophd.mgh.harvard.edu/

How to Apply