This position is offered through the ANU Computing Internship courses (COMP4820 / COMP8830).
Semester 2, 2026 applications open on Monday 18th May 2026 and close on Sunday 31st May 2026.
Company
Children’s Cancer Institute is an independent medical research institute in Australia dedicated to curing childhood cancer. The institute works across childhood cancer research and employs more than 300 researchers, students and operational staff.
Project
This AI x Bio internship will test whether machine learning can map how cells change after a treatment or genetic perturbation using precomputed RNA measurement tables. Each row is a sample or condition, each column is an already-computed RNA-related measurement, and column groups are different readouts of the same cell state, such as gene activity, splicing-related signals, RNA-end usage, or immature-RNA signals. The student will build a contained benchmark that hides one group of measurements, predicts it from the others, learns a compact map of samples, and tests whether similar perturbations or replicates land near each other. The work will use only fixed synthetic, public, or approved sanitized event matrices. It will not involve raw sequencing, event calling, full dataset curation, production deployment, proprietary CCI code, confidential CCI methods, patient-identifiable data, or unpublished restricted datasets. The output is a reproducible benchmark package and short report, not a clinical tool, commercial product, production pipeline, or real digital twin.
Required technical skills
Python; pandas / numpy or equivalent table handling; basic machine learning; train/test splits; metrics; plotting; Git; reproducible run commands. scikit-learn is desirable. Introductory neural-network experience is helpful but not essential.
Required/preferred professional and other skills
Clear communication, careful documentation, responsible handling of confidential material, regular progress updates, and willingness to ask for review before making assumptions about data or biological interpretation.
Delivery Mode
Hybrid (Project can be undertaken in-person or remote)
Project’s Special Requirements/ Conditions
None
Type of internship
Educational internship (unpaid)
How to apply
Applications are invited from eligible students to apply for the Computing Internship courses COMP4820 or COMP8830. Eligibility details of COMP4820 / COMP8830 and further information about the Computing Internship can be found on the Computing Internship page.
Eligible students can apply through the Computing Internship application form which will be available via the Computing Internship page between Monday 18th May 2026 and close on Sunday 31st May 2026.
You can nominate multiple preferred Internship projects and host organisations through the one online application form.
Eligibility and room available in degree to undertake COMP4820/COMP8830 will be assessed at the time of application. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria or do not have room in your degree to fit COMP4820/COMP8830, your application will not be progressed.
Your application will require you to upload the following documents:
- an updated copy of your resume, and
- an expression of interest (limit 350 words) for each organisation you wish to apply to (organisations with multiple projects may only submit one expression of interest, so state clearly which project/s you wish to be considered for).