Interested in gaining research experience in medical device design and regulatory science?
Spend twelve weeks this summer performing research in regulatory science of biomedical devices at the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston (UH), Houston, Texas and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, Maryland — and earn a $6,000 stipend! Travel and Student Residence Housing will be provided!
Regulatory Science is the science of developing new tools, standards, and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of FDA-regulated products. This first-of-its-kind REU Site will address best design and engineering practices, computing tools, and new computational methods to support early-stage medical device development and their evaluation so that as a nation, we can keep up with the accelerated pace of technology development and innovation. REU trainees will be paired with diverse mentors from the IUCRC BRAIN at UH and research staff from the Human-Device Interaction, Neurological Devices, High-resolution Optical Imaging, and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Programs at OSEL (FDA), for a unique 12-week research, mentoring, and educational experience in the user-centered design, engineering, and computational aspects of Regulatory Science in the above areas.
For more information on the REU program, click on the links on the top left of each web page.
Basic Application Requirements
- To apply, please visit https://etap.nsf.gov and search for “University of Houston” or “Regulatory Science”.
In the twelve-week REU program:
- Build research laboratory skills.
- Develop written and oral presentation skills.
- Get training in regulatory science.
- Establish a professional network.
- Learn to use state of the art biomedical instrumentation.
- Explore social activities in Houston and Washington DC metropolitan areas.
- Disseminate your results at the REU Symposium to be held at the end of the internship at the FDA Annual Student Scientific Research Day.
Research Projects offered by the IUCRC BRAIN Center faculty:
Seven examples of REU project descriptions within the theme “Regulatory Science for Engineering Intuitive, Engaging, Safe and Effective Human-Device Interaction,” are given below along with any specific project qualification necessary for success (e.g. specific courses or recommended background). These project descriptions and requirements are commensurate with successfully completed REU projects in past years. Additional workshops will be provided to REU participants, including Matlab programming, signal processing, statistics, etc. as needed.
- Project 1: Open-Access Database as a Tool for Development and Assessment of Novel Algorithms Deriving Gait Metrics through Wearables
(Contreras-Vidal, UH BMI Lab, Kimberly Kontson, FDA) - Project 2: Evaluate the safety of acute and chronic electrical stimulation from cortical implant devices and develop real-time electrophysiological biomarkers for their long-term effects in the brain
(Jianfeng Zheng, UH CEMC; Meijun Ye, FDA) - Project 3: Development of risk estimation tool for focused ultrasound devices with brain indications
(Jianfeng Zheng, UH CEMC; Meijun Ye, FDA) - Project 4: Development of cellular biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of retinal diseases
(Jose Contreras-Vidal, UH; Zhuolin Liu, FDA) - Project 5: Integrating open-source components into a 5G testbed for evaluating connected medical devices
(Ji Chen, UH CEMC/BRAIN; Dr. Omar Al Kalaa, Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab) - Project 6: MR safety of the Interchangeability of Active Implantable Devices (AIMDs)
(Ji Chen, UH Lab; Dr. Ananda Kumar, EMC lab) - Project 7: Develop multimodal physiological biomarkers for mild TBI
(Jose Contreras-Vidal, UH BRAIN; Michael Caiola and Meijun Ye, FDA)
Completed applications will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. We encourage you to send application materials early. Each complete application will be acknowledged via email, and all applicants will be notified in a rolling basis as to their status.
Stipend: $6,000
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jose L Contreras-Vidal at jlcontreras-vidal [at] uh.edu (jlcontreras-vidal[at]uh[dot]edu)