FDA Fellowship in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Safety

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

FDA Office and Location: A research opportunity is available in the Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL), within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) located at the White Oak Federal Research Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The fellow is expected to be located on-site but some hybrid participation may be permissible, depending on research activity and other factors.

Research Project: The Fellow will conduct research supporting development of tools to assess Radio Frequency (RF) safety issues under MRI on patients with active and passive medical implants. The Fellow will investigate and evaluate thermal effects, power deposition/SAR, and field interactions with human anatomy and medical implants using experimental measurements and computational electromagnetic (EM) modeling and simulations. The Fellow will also assist in developing tissue phantoms and bench test methodology for evaluating medical implant thermal and MR safety.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor during their appointment, the fellow will participate in a project on innovative laboratory and computational methods for evaluating thermal safety of implanted medical devices during MRI scans. The fellow will gain experience conducting lab experiments including electrical transfer function characterization and phantom-based testing to estimate in vivo tissue heating. The fellow will also gain experience with computational modeling and simulation tools for predicting RF power deposition and resultant heat transfer. The fellow will have the opportunity to publish their research as well as present at internal and external conferences.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page  of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA.  OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA Ethics Requirements

If an ORISE Fellow, to include their spouse and minor children, reports what is identified as a Significantly Regulated Organization (SRO) or prohibited investment fund financial interest in any amount, or a relationship with an SRO, except for spousal employment with an SRO, and the individual will not voluntarily divest the financial interest or terminate the relationship, then the individual is not placed at FDA. For additional requirements, see FDA Ethics for Nonemployee Scientists . 

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency.  This agreement covers such topics as the following:

• Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment
• Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions
• Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship
• The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA
• ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information