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.

  • CDC Bioinformatics fellow bridging gaps between laboratory research and public health implementation

    Grace Nabakooza

    CDC Research Participation Program

    Grace 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.

  • Troy Alexander

    Troy Alexander

    NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program

    Troy Alexander is a current National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) participant. He is supporting the Office of International Nuclear Security (NA-211) at the NNSA.

  • CDC fellowship lets Christie Kim explore new disciplines

    Christie Kim

    CDC Research Participation Program

    Christie 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).

  • Luis Caicedo Torres

    Luis Caicedo Torres

    NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program

    Luis 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.

  • Robby Phillips

    Robby Phillips

    U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Science, Technology and Policy (STP) Program

    Robby 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.

  • NIH fellow gains experience in policy analysis, international health issues

    Maggie Gearhart

    NIH Research Participation Programs

    Maggie 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.

  • Public Health professional looks back on her experience as a CDC fellow

    Dionne Mitcham

    CDC Research Participation Program

    Dionne 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.

  • U.S. Forest Service intern develops genetic tests to detect invasive species

    John Kronenberger

    USDA Forest Service Research Participation Program

    John Kronenberger is an ORISE intern alum who participated in the USDA-USFS Research Participation Program monitoring wildlife using environmental DNA.

  • Food and Drug Administration researcher conducts drug safety studies for public health

    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.

  • USDA-ARS Research Microbiologist looks back on her ORISE fellowship experience

    Holly Bartholomew

    USDA ARS Research Participation Program

    Holly Bartholomew, Ph.D., is an ORISE fellow alum who participated in research with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Bartholomew and her team conducted research on Penicillium expansum, the cause for blue mold decay in pome fruit, with the aim to combat the fungus, avoid fungicide resistance and reduce the economic losses of food waste.

  • Amalia Parra

    Amalia Parra

    IC Postdoc

    As 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.

  • Molly Simonis

    Molly Simonis

    IC Postdoc

    As 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.

  • Zachery Enderson

    Zachery Enderson

    IC Postdoc

    As a participant in the Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Zachery Allen Enderson researches the development of infrared detectors using artificial moiré quantum materials to advance quantum information systems and other technological applications.

  • Ethan Clements

    Ethan Clements

    IC Postdoc

    As a recent participant in the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program, Ethan Robert Clements focused on integrating photonics into trapped ion systems to enhance scalability and functionality for quantum information processing.

  • USDA-ARS fellow researches the cause of common scab disease on potatoes

    Brett Shelley

    USDA ARS Research Participation Program

    Brett Shelley, Ph.D., gained his interest in the sciences at an early age, but credits part of his success to the great mentors he has had along the way.

  • Harnessing the power of biostatistics for public health innovation

    Syeda Zahra Ali

    CDC Research Participation Program

    As a participant in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Mathematical Statistician Fellowship, Syeda Zahra Ali uses biostatistics to enhance public health interventions and policies, focusing on improving outcomes through rigorous data analysis and research.

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MentorIMPACT

ORISE recognizes the crucial role that mentors play in the personal and professional development of the next generation of STEM. These videos feature a few of our mentors across the federal departments and agencies that offer internships and fellowships through ORISE who were gracious enough to talk about their experiences and expertise. The stories they tell offer a glimpse of the inspiration they instill, their commitment to life-long learning, and their passion for “shaping the future of science.”

Watch the series

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ORISE Featurecast spotlights all things ORISE

The ORISE Featurecast is a podcast about all things ORISE. Hear from ORISE research program participants and their mentors about their experiences and how they are helping shape the future of science.

Listen to the ORISE Featurecast