Advanced Analytics/Data Science Internship Program

Created by Alex Buerkle
Jan 14, 2020
3 min read

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) Advanced Analytics/Data Science Internship Program focuses on enhancing the availability of advanced analytics/data science talent in life sciences. In this pilot year, the program will create internship opportunities for qualified candidates at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels by enabling research institutions and companies to hire paid interns for up to 6 months. The program connects employers with prospective interns through an online platform and reimburses eligible companies (100 FTEs or fewer in Massachusetts; no more than 250 globally) and research institutions for intern stipends. Companies with greater than 100 FTEs in Massachusetts are also encouraged to use the portal to search for talent, but will need to pay interns without the state subsidy.

Internships can be part or full time and can take place for companies any time during the 12-month Program Year, which runs from May 1st through April 30th of the following year. For research institutions, there is no specific program year. Candidates looking for an internship will submit an online application, which includes their resume, to be posted in the MLSC’s application database (candidates do not apply to a particular company or for a specific position). There is no application deadline since internship placements will be rolling.

Company and research institution representatives review applications on a rolling basis and contact applicants directly if they are interested in hiring them for an internship. Companies and research institutions interested in hosting interns will register with the MLSC to gain access to our database of prospective interns to review applications, interview candidates, and select interns with the qualifications that are most suited to their needs. Companies that are approved for the MLSC’s Internship Challenge will automatically gain access to the Advanced Analytics/Data Science application database (the company application is the same for both programs).

Eligible companies can only hire one subsidized Advanced Analytics/Data Science intern per year. The MLSC will reimburse for pay rates of up to $20 per hour for interns that are pursuing or have completed their Bachelor’s degree for a total reimbursement of no more than $20,800 per intern, $25 per hour for interns that have completed their Master’s degree for a total reimbursement of no more than $26,000 per intern, and $40 per hour for interns that have completed their Ph.D. for a total reimbursement of no more than $41,600 per intern.

Program Eligibility

Interns:

Must demonstrate through their applications that they are proficient in advanced analytics skills and technologies based on their work experience and academic training. Applicants that do not have such qualifications will not be eligible. They are instead encouraged to apply for a general life sciences internship through the MLSC’s Internship Challenge.

Interns are eligible for only one Advanced Analytics/Data Science Internship and will not be eligible to work for a company for which they have previously had two subsidized internships through the Internship Challenge. Please note that post-docs cannot intern in a lab for which they have previously worked and that students pursuing degrees are ineligible to work in the department in which they are pursuing their degrees.

Host Research Institutions:

  1. Must be located in Massachusetts and internships must take place in Massachusetts.

  1. Must offer interns a hands-on learning experience and at least one mentor with advanced analytics expertise who directly oversees the internship.

  1. Must be with Principal Investigators who have not previously employed the intern or hosted the intern in a prior internship.

Host Companies:

  1. Must be located in Massachusetts and internships must take place in Massachusetts. Companies are required to be registered to do business in Massachusetts and must submit Certificates of Good Standing from both the 

MA Department of Revenue and the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth (click on links to request) that were issued no earlier than the previous calendar year. Companies will also need to provide MLSC with a signed copy of their Form W-9 (if not previously submitted).

  1. Must be small businesses (100 or fewer employees in MA and no more than 250 employees worldwide). Larger companies, 

including subsidiaries of larger companies, are welcome to participate in the program, however their internships would not be subsidized.

  1. Must be life sciences companies or companies that provide services to the life sciences industry. “Life sciences” is defined as: “advanced and applied sciences that expand the understanding of human physiology and have the potential to lead to medical advances or therapeutic applications,” – Massachusetts General Laws (MGL), chapter 23I, section 2.

  1. Must offer interns a hands-on learning experience and at least one mentor that directly oversees the internship at an official place of business (no residences or remote workplaces).

  1. Additional requirements for host companies are available at the 

Internship Challenge webpage.