What's it like Being an ORISE STEM Researcher?
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education administers science education programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies. The diversity of these programs enables individuals—whether undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral or faculty—to conduct collaborative research with national laboratories and partners of federal agencies.
From robotics research to improving the national wastewater infrastructure, ORISE researchers apply their talents and interests to advance research of national interest. Through ORISE internships, fellowships, and research appointments, participants get one step closer to reaching their STEM career goals.
Below are just a few of our interns, fellows, and former researchers, and these are their stories.
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Izak Hill
EPA Research Participation ProgramIzak Hill is an ORISE fellow with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division (ACESD). His fellowship focuses on the growing environmental concern of PFAS and their accumulation in wildlife fish species.
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Susana Najera
Research Participation Program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Susana Najera is an ORISE fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Her research aims to develop safer and more efficacious therapies for patients.
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Matt Comins
DOE Scholars ProgramMatt Comins, Ph.D., turned his aspirations to collaborate with the Actinide Chemistry and Repository Science Program into an achievement by securing an appointment with the Department of Energy in 2021.
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Zoe Vaughn
ORISE Research Participation Program at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)Zoe Vaughn, Ph.D., is an ORISE fellow with The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) researching organophosphate (OP) nerve agents to find a reactivation of the acetylcholinesterase that could help farmers, average Americans and the military.
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Grace Nabakooza
CDC Research Participation ProgramGrace Nabakooza, Ph.D., is an alumni ORISE fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with a background in medical research in infectious diseases, immunology, molecular biology and bioinformatics in Africa and the United Kingdom.
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Christie Kim
CDC Research Participation ProgramChristie Kim, MPH, stepped outside of her comfort zone to learn a new discipline of data analytics and data science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Luis Caicedo Torres
NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Internship ProgramLuis Caicedo Torres, Ph.D., is an ORISE National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) fellow with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division. Through his research, Caicedo Torres hopes to leverage tools from mathematics to create a world with sustainable energy for everyday uses.
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Robby Phillips
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Science, Technology and Policy (STP) ProgramRobby Phillips is an ORISE participant with the Department of Energy (DOE) Science, Technology and Policy (STP) Program. With a passion for addressing climate change, Phillips’ research is used to uplift communities left behind by the energy transition through streamlining information and navigating challenges.
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Maggie Gearhart
NIH Research Participation ProgramsMaggie Gearhart, MPH, used her curriculum from concurrently attending graduate school to aide in her duties as an Acting Regional Officer with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Office of Global Research.
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Dionne Mitcham
CDC Research Participation ProgramDionne Mitcham, MPH, let her passion for public health and emergency management lead her to a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaving her with an invaluable experience and connections.
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John Kronenberger
USDA Forest Service Research Participation ProgramJohn Kronenberger is an ORISE intern alum who participated in the USDA-USFS Research Participation Program monitoring wildlife using environmental DNA.
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Zakaridja Guiriansoro
Research Participation Program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Zakaridja Guiriansoro, M.D, is an ORISE fellow alum who participated in research with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). With his mentor Tatiana Oussova, M.D., Guiriansoro conducted a comprehensive analysis of 26 safety studies for drugs that treat inflammatory or autoimmune conditions.
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Amalia Parra
IC PostdocAs a participant in the Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Program, Amalia Parra investigates gene networks in Drosophila melanogaster to enhance U.S. national security through improved threat detection and mitigation.
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Molly Simonis
IC PostdocAs a current participant in the Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Molly Simonis researches the mechanisms of pathogen spillover from bats to humans, focusing on the influences of phylogenetic relatedness and social contact patterns on disease transmission.