Internship Schedule
Facilitators
- Supervisor and ICER/NIAID team
- Hospital staff
- Thesis co-Director
Objectives
- Build skills in clinical research documentation (clinical trial proposals, consent forms, recruitment protocols) and understand research ethics and informed consent for human participant studies.
- Gain hands-on experience in laboratory methods relevant to pathogen and AMR research, including sequencing, PCR, PBMC processing, flow cytometry, and entomology testing.
- Develop proficiency in data management and statistical analysis using SPSS, R, and QGIS, and strengthen reference management skills using Zotero.
- Strengthen scientific writing and communication, including concept note/thesis writing, reporting results, and presentations.
Location: ICER/NIAID Cambodia (office and laboratory) at CNM campus, location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EeQtAUiKUBShgMfY8 and designated sentinel hospitals (site visits as required).
Start: TBD (3 months to 1 years)
Working time:
- First day: 09:00 – afternoon (flexible)
- Routine schedule: Flexible, aligned with laboratory/site activities and the student’s academic timetable.
Deliverables checklist
- Month 1: onboarding checklist + concept note outline
- Month 3: proposal/workplan presentation
- Month 6: midterm progress report and clean dataset
- Month 9: analysis tables and/or figure pack
- Month 12: final thesis/report and/or poster/manuscript draft and/or final presentation
| Activities | How | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Welcome meeting; review internship objectives, working hours, communication, weekly meetings schedule; sign confidentiality agreement | Intern + Primary Supervisor + Admin |
| Ethics (if applicable) | Read assigned protocol/ICF/SOPs; complete required trainings (GCLP); confirm intern only works under approved NECHR protocols | Intern + Supervisor + Biosafety Officer |
| Tool setup (SPSS/R/QGIS/Zotero) | Install software; confirm it opens; create project folders | Intern + Data Manager |
| Intro to research platforms and sites | Intro to surveillance/field/lab workflows; 1–2 sentinel site visits or virtual briefings; short reflection note | Intern + Supervisor + Site Focal |
| Concept note outline (if you don’t have thesis project yet) | Choose project aligned with program research areas (surveillance/field/lab/One Health); draft 1–2 page concept note + aims | Intern + Supervisor + Co-Supervisor |
| Activities | How | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Literature review + Zotero library (or EndNote) | Build Zotero or End folder; ≥30 key references; annotated outline (1. Global and/or local/Cambodian burden; 2. Pathogen species; 3. Economic impacts; 4. MoH or Nat. program surveillance/guideline/strategy interventions?) | Intern + Chanthap |
| Data dictionary + CRF familiarization | Review variables, coding rules, missingness plan; create data dictionary. | Intern + Data Manager |
| Field readiness (if applicable) | Q&A for SOPs; complete safety briefing; mock sample labeling and chain-of-custody exercise | Intern + ICER team + Biosafety Officer |
| Lab introductory training (as applicable) | Demonstrate correct PPE, sample handling, basic workflow understanding; training sign-off | Intern + Lab Lead |
| Field activities (if applicable) | Participate in supervised field collection; ICF & Assent, data questionnaires & Data entry, submit weekly field report | Intern + Clinical team + Supervisor |
| Proposal / workplan presentation | 10–15 min presentation: background, aims, data sources, timeline, risks | All |
| Activities | How | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Data extraction / cleaning | Clean dataset + cleaning log; reproducible script (R or SPSS syntax) | Intern + Data Manager |
| Continue field activities (if applicable) | Practice in supervised field collection; ICF & Assent, data questionnaires & Data entry, submit weekly field report | Intern + hospital staff + Supervisor |
| Lab-linked activities (if applicable) | Maintain lab notebook; complete assigned bench tasks under supervision; weekly QC check DNA/RNA extraction from the sample. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): Amplification of DNA sequence, denaturation, annealing and extension. DNA/RNA sequencing (Next-Generation Sequencing): High-throughput sequencing of entire genomes or specific regions using Illumina or Oxford Nanopore Technology. Molecular sequencing data bioinformatics analysis: pathogen detection, AMR marker identification, transcriptomic analysis. Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT): Assess neutralizing antibodies against viruses (DENV, ZIKV, CHIKV). Flow cytometry: Immunophenotyping of the cell by analyzing the cell population, protein expressing. | Intern + Lab Lead |
| Surveillance analytics (optional track) | Produce 1 dashboard/table pack: trends, positivity, simple stratifications | Intern + Supervisor |
| Midterm review (end Month 6) | Present progress + challenges; revise timeline; supervisor evaluation form | Intern + Supervisor + Co-Supervisor |
| Activities | How | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Statistical analysis plan (SAP) based on objectives | SAP with primary outcomes, variables, tests, and figure list | Intern + Biostat mentor + Supervisor |
| Basic analyses | Run analyses; produce result tables and figure drafts | Intern + Biostat mentor |
| Journal club / methods seminar | Lead 1 session; submit 1-page critique | Intern + Supervisor |
| Draft results narrative | 2–4 pages Results text aligned to tables/figures | Intern + Supervisor |
| Activities | How | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis/report writing | Full draft (Intro/Methods/Results/Discussion); internal review cycles | Intern + Supervisor + Co-Supervisor |
| Poster or manuscript draft | 1 poster (conference-ready) or manuscript draft outline + 1 section | Intern + Supervisor |
| Final presentation | 15–20 min talk + Q&A; final slide deck submitted | Intern + Supervisor |
| Data + document archiving | Clean dataset + codebook + scripts + final reports stored in project folder; handover note | Intern + Data Manager |
| Closeout | Exit meeting; feedback form; certificate/letter support as applicable | Supervisor + Admin |
The scholarship and program are based on the https://phd-cambodia.org/job_opportunity/laboratory-1-position/
For international students1. Required documents: Application form
2. The 1-year program is designed to be flexible to accommodate both physical and virtual agendas. For example, if an international student is able to stay in Cambodia for a period of 3 months, tasks that require physical presence, such as fieldwork, laboratory work, or site visits, will be scheduled during their stay. The internship schedule includes key activities like onboarding, training, research tasks, and writing drafts for papers and presentations. This structure allows for flexibility in the program, enabling students to complete part of their internship remotely, especially for tasks that can be done off-site, such as literature reviews, data analysis, or manuscript writing. This flexibility ensures that students can continue their research work even if they are not physically present in Cambodia for the entire duration of the internship.
3. Visa and Work Permit The application process for a business visa is outlined in the CAM Visa Guide, and it is recommended that students apply through the Cambodian embassy or consulate in their home country.
4. Program fee
| Duration | Program Fee Covers* | Your Fee (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | Supervision, onboarding, admin support, workspace, reporting | $2,500 |
| 6 months | Extended supervision, admin, mentoring, reporting | $3,000–4,000 |
| 12 months | Long-term supervision, coordination, evaluation | $6,000 |
The program fee covers:
- Scientific supervision
- Administrative coordination such as:
- Arranging for transportation from the airport to the accommodation upon arrival in Cambodia
- Accommodation Arrangements (suitable housing, safety, and fit with budget)
- Coordination with local and international partners
- Coordinating the visa extension process if needed
- Assisting the student to have local health insurance if need
- Provide local orientation, including understanding transportation systems, local customs, language, and practical daily life matters.
- Provide any specific requests or needs the student might have during student’s stay, including administrative support and troubleshooting issues with accommodations, transportation, or work-related tasks.
- Onboarding & reporting
- Workspace & institutional support
- Lab consumables
- Specimen collection
- Translation or data management
5. What is NOT covered by the program fee
a. Field specimen collection
Any additional specimen collection required beyond the routine program or NIH project collections may be the student’s responsibility.
b. Local and provincial travel
Routine travel between accommodation and the office, as well as travel outside of Phnom Penh for fieldwork or other research-related activities, is not covered.
c. Accommodation
The cost of rental housing during the student’s stay in Phnom Penh or accommodation required for field activities or personnel travel is not covered by the program fee.