Immersion in internships provides students with a unique appreciation of the day-to-day activities of toxicologists and paths for career success in industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. Such opportunities can help students establish their professional network, build confidence in career choices, and ultimately better prepare to transition into these employment sectors upon graduation.
SOT will offer graduate students funding to engage in internships within industry, government, and nonprofit organizations through the Graduate Intern Fellowship in Toxicology (GIFT). This program will enable outstanding doctoral students to pursue an internship in toxicology that advances their professional and scientific development.
Applications require the proposal of an internship outside the trainee’s academic institution. The Education and Experiential Opportunities Committee (EEOC) will give priority to students proposing a toxicology-related internship that clearly states the intended internship objectives, research project goals, career development-related activities, and methodologies to be learned by the intern.
One award of up to $3,000 may be given each year for asummer internship to support travel to the internship site, local housing, and/or stipend (if not provided by the internship host). The applicant should take full advantage of any stipend or funding offered by the internship host and home institute and then specify the amount and purpose of funds required from SOT. The SOT funds are to be used to close gaps in available funds to facilitate participation by graduate trainees. Applications should include letters of support from the graduate advisor and director of graduate studies, as well as documentation of acceptance from the internship host, to validate and ensure success of the opportunity.
All internships should last at least six consecutive weeks between May and August. If the deadline for the SOT funding is before acceptance into the internship, the host documentation should state this. Once accepted, the applicant should forward the acceptance notice to the EEOC, who will finalize the SOT award only after confirmation of acceptance into the internship.
More details can be found on the GIFT application site.
Related SOT Webinars
Examples of Training Opportunities
SOT does not endorse the options listed below, but these are provided as examples of internships that might be proposed.
- Amgen Inc.
- CDC Internships
- Exxon Mobil Corporation
- General government-related internships
- The Lubrizol Corporation
- Merck & Co., Inc.
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)
- NSF Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP) at the US EPA
- Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP)
- Pfizer Inc.
- Takeda
Additional information is found on the SOT Internship webpages.