Internship | Large Scale Human Microbiome Data Integration

About this internship

At TNO, we aim to improve human health. This internship contributes to the societal goal of personalized nutrition and preventive healthcare by analyzing large human gut microbiome data through cutting-edge bioinformatics. Your work will directly support innovations in microbiota feedback reports and new bioinformatics services, helping companies to design personalized interventions. Ultimately, this will help individuals make better lifestyle and nutritional choices and support long-term health.

Internship focus: Large Scale Human Microbiome Data Integration

What will be your role?

You will collect, process, and analyze a large amount of human metagenomic datasets from both public sources and in-house studies, with a primary focus on gut microbiomes, other human-associated microbiomes, and optionally edible food microbiomes. The aim is to build a comprehensive biome dataset that supports feedback for future participants and serves as a foundation for advanced statistical analyses to improve human health through microbial insights [Arif, S. J., et. al., 2025. Trends in Microbiology].

Key deliverables

• Develop a robust algorithm to assess bacterial taxa based on health relevance, diversity, and stability.
• Generate comparative insights against population averages and specific cohorts (e.g., age, diet, lifestyle).

You will design and refine algorithms for microbiome scoring, similarity indexing, and population-level comparisons. You will work within a multidisciplinary team of bioinformaticians, microbiologists, and data scientists, collaborating to advance TNO’s microbiome research through innovation, knowledge-sharing, and practical application.

As an intern at TNO, you will receive appropriate guidance. Our projects provide solutions to social issues; your internship will have a direct social impact. You will have a lot of freedom to make your own interpretation of your internship.

What we expect from you

We are looking for a motivated and curious young scientist with strong analytical skills and a passion for bioinformatics. You are a team player, proactive, and eager to learn.

Hard skills

• Master’s degree (in progress or just finished) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or related field.
• Strong programming skills (Python and/or R, Bash scripting and Linux-based servers).
• Familiarity with statistical modeling and machine learning.
• Experience in shotgun metagenomic analysis and microbiome research is optional but highly desirable.

What you'll get in return

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference.