How it works

BMSIP is a match making program that connects BU biological and biomedical investigators with BU Bioinformatics MS students. Mentorship and project oversight is provided by staff bioinformatics scientists in collaboration with the principle investigator (PI). Projects are chosen by a competitive proposal process in the spring and commence in the summer.

BMSIP connects basic, translational, and biomedical investigators who have bioinformatics needs with Bioinformatics MS students who need to perform summer project requirements to complete their degrees.

Investigators may submit proposals describing a discrete project idea that involves bioinformatics. The BMSIP match making process is open to both internal and external internship projects and the Bioinformatics Program provides a limited help with project mentorship and management.

Suitable projects must meet the Bioinformatics MS program summer project requirement: they are entirely computational and involve biological data analysis techniques covered by the Bioinformatics Master’s curriculum. See the Project Criteria section on the Project page for more detailed information.

All suitable bioinformatics projects are advertised to the Bioinformatics MS students who then reach out directly to the PIs for the projects that match their interests and skills. The PIs subsequently select the students who are the best fit for their projects.

Projects submitted by investigators with little or no prior experience or capabilities in genomics and high throughput biological data are prioritized for support.