The Canadian Centre for Computational Genomics (C3G), a core research facility at McGill University, is now accepting applications for summer internship positions taking place from May 1 to August 31, 2026. C3G is a bioinformatics and computational genomics platform that provides case-by-case consulting services for the analysis and organization of large genomic datasets, in addition to developing software solutions for the research community.

We are seeking applicants with a strong interest in bioinformatics and, specifically, candidates who want to work in any of the summer projects described below.

At C3G, we use a POSTGRESQL Database to help us internally track metadata fields during the analysis of large-scale projects. The fields we track include: file paths, sample names, metrics, and the genomics analysis pipelines and versions used. This database has gone through a few release cycles, and after 2 years in operation, it has some orphan children, dead leaves, and other underlying issues. The selected candidate will work on performing an overall quality check and cleaning of the database as their summer internship project. As part of this process, some incomplete metadata will be detected, which will require re-ingesting the partial datasets. We are looking for candidates with strong data exploration skills, familiarity with SQL databases and ideally some basic knowledge of genomics datasets and workflows.

Large-scale genomic initiatives often grapple with sample tracking challenges, which include robust naming schemes that balance identifier traceability, privacy, consistency, and uniqueness. There is often a temptation to encode metadata into identifiers to make them easier to parse by humans, but by doing so, errors can be introduced which are hard to rectify once projects are underway. In response, several recent projects, including the Canadian Precision Health Initiative (CPHI), have introduced rules for Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) schemes, which are designed to be persistent and don’t encode any metadata, reducing the need for manual curation. However, laboratories frequently don’t have the expertise or tools to track and manage UUIDs, leading to incomplete adoption. The goal of this project will be to implement a toolkit and dashboard that will aid teams with: UUID generation, tracking, and compliance, for use in projects such as CPHI and other future large-scale initiatives. We are looking for candidates with strong skills in python/R, some familiarity with front-end development, as well as strong data wrangling skills. 

Secure Data for Health (SD4H) is a community cloud deployed with OpenStack. The equipment consists of CPU and GPU nodes along with four types of storage, including Object Storage and high performance CephFS posix system. One of the main goals of the platform is to provide the scientific community with computational resources that are both elastic and secure. As more users gain access to these resources, monitoring usage and generating reports is becoming more important. We are looking for a summer intern who will work with the SD4H team to generate an interactive dashboard to monitor and report on the usage of SD4H resources. Students with an interest in cloud computing and experience in DevOps are encouraged to apply. 

The C3G Data Team manages data for major genomics initiatives, including the Pan-Canadian Genome Library, the Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre, and the Quebec COVID-19 Biobank (BQC19). To support these projects, we’ve developed the Bento platform (https://github.com/Bento-Platform), an open-source modular infrastructure organizing genomic, clinical, and experimental data using international standards (like those from GA4GH). Bento enables research collaboration and data sharing across institutions.

We’re seeking either a software development intern or a UI/UX design intern to help build data navigation and visualization tools that make complex datasets intuitive and actionable for researchers. Software development interns will work with tools such as React, Ant Design, Python, Django, Docker and PostgreSQL to create interactive features and API integrations. UI/UX design interns will design interfaces for scientific data visualization, develop prototypes, conduct usability testing, and collaborate with developers to implement designs. This is an opportunity to shape how scientists interact with large-scale genomic data and contribute to open-source tools used by research institutions globally.

The C3G Data Team at McGill University’s Genome Centre develops software platforms supporting research in genomics. FreezeMan is our specialized Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) that digitizes the wet lab lifecycle of genomic samples, from reception and extraction through library preparation and sequencing. Originally developed in 2020 for a COVID-19 biobank project, FreezeMan has evolved into critical infrastructure supporting high-throughput sequencing operations for the Centre.

We are seeking a front-end software development intern to enhance FreezeMan’s sample management tools. The intern will contribute to improvements in areas such as dashboard interfaces or sample placement visualization tools. The ideal candidate will have foundational knowledge of JavaScript and React with project experience in web development. This internship offers hands-on experience with modern web technologies while contributing to tools used daily by genomics researchers and lab managers.

We are seeking a motivated summer intern to contribute to final-phase quality assurance and cohort-scale analysis enablement for a large, multi-year cancer genome sequencing project for which our platform has performed the secondary data analyses.

The intern will perform a cross-project review of data quality, data completeness, genetic concordance and tumour classification, potentially contributing to the improvement of methodologies and monitoring tools that will be applied in the next phase of the project. The intern will also work on adapting deliverables to facilitate downstream cohort-level analyses by users.

This project will offer hands-on experience in large-scale genomics quality control and data integration within a production bioinformatics environment.

We are seeking a motivated summer intern to help set up a secure, user-friendly environment for exploring, filtering, and prioritizing genomic variants generated by our services. The intern will evaluate and implement existing tools and integrate them into a secure data platform, enabling efficient end-user interaction with variant data. This project offers hands-on experience in human genomic variant analysis and secure data management, with a focus on bridging computational pipelines and user accessibility.

Eligibility

  • Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or hold a valid Canadian study permit.
  • Must be an undergraduate or graduate student, returning to their current registered faculty in the 2026 fall semester.
  • Availability for full-time commitment for the duration of the internship.
  • Availability to move to the Montreal region for the duration of the internship.

What you’ll get from working at C3G

  • Expert mentorship from seasoned bioinformatics professionals and scientists from a wide range of fields
  • The chance to join a collaborative team that cares about impactful science
  • An opportunity to contribute to a project that makes a real difference in the genomics and research community
  • A beautiful and centrally located workspace with a view overlooking McGill’s downtown campus.

Planned Start & End Date

May 1 to August 31, 2026.

Work Location
Interns are expected to work on-site with the rest of the team at one of our offices, with some exceptions for hybrid work, as needed:

McGill Genome Centre
740 Docteur Penfield
Montréal, Québec H3A 1G0

C3G Downtown Offices
1010 Sherbrooke W. – Suite 1800
Montréal, Québec H3A 2R7

Hours/Week & Schedule And Hourly Wage
Interns will be paid via stipend/award, bi-weekly payments, fixed hourly rate starting at $18.50, and usually for 33.75 hours per week.

Application Deadline

Monday, March 6, 2026, 12 PM (noon) EST.

How To Apply
Complete the form at computationalgenomics.ca/careers-internships, selecting Internship as the type of opportunity.

**Please clearly indicate only one or two projects (using their name or code) that are of interest to you in your cover letter or CV. If you don’t, your application will be considered with lower priority.**

Policy on AI Usage

While the use of generative AI (LLMs) will not disqualify your application, we highly encourage a responsible use of these tools. If you decide to use them for your CV or cover letter, please ensure your application remains professional, truthful, fact-checked, and does not misrepresent your abilities. Use of AI tools during the interview stage will be strictly prohibited. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any application process in which we suspect a candidate is engaging in plagiarism or if their application is not an accurate reflection of their professional and/or language skills.

Selection Process

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within two weeks after the application deadline.