Job Title: Research Assistant (Undergraduate) – Biomedical AI & Systems Engineering
Location: New York, NY (Weill Cornell Medicine) – Remote option available; preference for local candidates
Start Date: Summer 2026
About the Opportunity
We are seeking motivated undergraduate students to join a cutting-edge research lab within the Department of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine. This lab develops computational methods for analyzing biomedical text and medical imaging data, contributing to innovations at the intersection of engineering, healthcare, and data science.
What You’ll Work On
As an undergraduate research assistant, you may contribute to projects in:
- Biomedical text mining (e.g., information extraction, summarization)
- Medical image analysis (e.g., chest X-rays, CT scans, retinal imaging)
- Multimodal AI (e.g., combining text and images for report generation or clinical question answering)
This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in AI-driven healthcare research and prepare for graduate study, including PhD pathways.
Qualifications
- Current undergraduate student in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Health Informatics, or related field
- Interest in healthcare, life sciences, or biomedical applications
- Experience with programming (Python preferred)
- Exposure to machine learning, data analysis, or AI concepts is a plus
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a collaborative research environment
Preferred Skills (Not Required)
- Experience with natural language processing (NLP) or computer vision
- Familiarity with large datasets or modeling techniques
Compensation
- Salary: $23.06 for at least 14 hours per week
How to Apply
Interested students should submit the following materials to Dr. Yifan Peng at yip4002@med.cornell.edu. Shortlisted candidates will have an online interview:
- Resume/CV
- Brief statement of interest
- Unofficial transcript (optional)
About the Lab
The lab is led by Dr. Yifan Peng, Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences and Deputy Director of the Cornell Institute of AI and Digital Health. The group focuses on biomedical natural language processing and medical image analysis, with publications in leading AI and healthcare venues.
Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medicine is located in Manhattan, New York, immediately adjacent to the Sloan Kettering Institute and Rockefeller University, and as such offers the exposure to a dynamic and vibrant scientific environment that provides unique and unparalleled research training opportunities, including seminars given by scientific leaders from throughout the world, exposure to diverse research programs, highly sophisticated core facilities, grant writing workshops, career exploration events, and professional development workshops. Weill Cornell Medicine provides subsidized housing for eligible Postdocs.
Weill Cornell Medicine is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity and strongly encourages applications from all qualified applicants, including women and minorities.