Student Volunteer Opportunity: BARDA/DRIVe

Application Due Date: November 28, 2022
Position Opening: Spring 2023

We're seeking an entrepreneurial, organized, and collaborative individual passionate about the development of novel medical technologies, to support the Catalyst team manage activities and collaborations within a government team developing cutting edge health security technologies.

Job Duties

Support the Catalyst team identify and support early enabling tools and technologies as well as the entire DRIVe Division with development, execution, and management of new and existing R&D funding programs.
Produce briefing materials and communications packages (as appropriate)
Participate in DRIVe Catalyst meetings
Assist with the preparation of reports to various audiences, take minutes during meetings
Assist with scheduling meetings as needed
Coordinate with colleagues across BARDA
Assist with data entry analysis of Accelerator metrics
Organize data for JLABs Blue Knight companies
Assist in organizing meetings/symposia/agendas
Assist in developing communications packages
Participate in meetings with accelerators, Blue Knight companies and potential partners

What We’re Seeking

Independent individuals who are willing to roll up their sleeves, dig in, and make an impact
Passionate about innovation in health and the development of life-saving medical countermeasures
Able to conceive of the big picture problem and develop in a detail-oriented way innovative approaches to achieving the desired solution.
Must be organized, able to multitask, manage last minute taskers and think about best action plan quickly.
Skill in preparing project papers, briefings, and staff reports
Ability to work with others and have interpersonal skills
Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing to prepare and present findings and recommendations, to assist with preparation of reports
Work may require some travel.

About DRIVe

The Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) is focused on investing in the early development of potentially transformative medical countermeasures and technologies to help us prevent, prepare for, and respond to future health emergencies including pandemics. It is part of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), within Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

DRIVe has several R&D programs focused on home-based pathogen and lab diagnostics, next-generation sequencing, host-directed therapeutics, needle-free vaccine delivery, multi-organ tissue chips, pre-symptomatic disease detection, digital health tools, life support technologies, and many others.

Additionally, DRIVe takes a holistic approach to supporting early-stage companies and oversees HHS' first public-private venture capital fund through the BARDA Ventures program, a 13-member BARDA Accelerator Network, and a public-private program called Blue Knight to incubate up to 30 startups across the JLABS network in North America and around the world.

DRIVe team members are from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including scientists, physicians, engineers, procurement experts, attorneys, designers, with experiences across academia, industry, startups, venture capital, and government.

About BARDA

The mission of BARDA is to develop medical countermeasures that address the public health and medical consequences of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) accidents, incidents and attacks, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases.

BARDA manages an integrated, systematic approach to the development, manufacturing infrastructure, innovation, and purchase of the necessary vaccines, drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies. BARDA also manages Project BioShield for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threat agents.

Since 2007, BARDA has supported, through many public-private partnerships, 62 FDA Approvals, Licensures, and Clearances for Medical Countermeasures, including H5N1, Ebola, and COVID-19 vaccines, monoclonal antibodies against Ebola, and a variety of influenza and other diagnostics.

Start Date and Duration

This position will begin in early 2023 for a duration of no more than six months. Starting dates will vary. The number of hours per week for this position will be determined jointly by the volunteer and the program management.