About the role#
The Clinical Research Intern will join the Future Forward Advanced Research team for a 10-12 week summer internship. You will report to a Senior Clinical Research Scientist and contribute to early-stage product development for a novel technology platform. The role involves applying clinical and scientific expertise to support product strategy, evidence generation, and market evaluation. You will work alongside engineering, translational science, medical affairs, and product management teams to help de-risk key uncertainties for technology in development. The internship concludes with a final presentation to leadership and cross-functional partners.
What you'll do#
- Develop clinical evidence-generation strategies by identifying key endpoints, target patient populations, and study-design considerations.
- Conduct literature reviews and clinical outcomes research to benchmark technology against the standard of care and support trial planning.
- Collaborate with translational science teams to identify and de-risk scientific and clinical risks through experimental design and milestone definitions.
- Partner with engineering and product management to align clinical requirements with technical feasibility and contribute to risk-mitigation plans.
- Evaluate market opportunities by analyzing disease-state epidemiology, procedure volumes, competitive landscapes, and unmet clinical needs.
- Translate clinical insights into product and market requirements, contributing to upstream strategy and clinical value propositions.
- Participate in clinical observations, physician interviews, or voice-of-customer sessions.
- Summarize findings in visualizations, written deliverables, and presentations.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in a Doctorate (MD or PhD) program in Medicine, Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field. Master's students with specific experience in clinical research, Biodesign, or medical device development may be considered.
- Must be returning to an accredited degree-seeking program after the internship.
- Ability to critically evaluate clinical literature and synthesize findings into actionable strategic insights.
- Experience with clinical study design concepts or clinical trial planning.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to develop and test clinical hypotheses.
- Experience or training in needs-based innovation, clinical immersion, or translational research.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills to translate complex concepts for engineering and business audiences.
- Intellectual curiosity and comfort working with ambiguity.
- Ability to work independently on defined deliverables under the guidance of senior team members.
- Preferred: Completion of a Biodesign program, experience in upstream product management, clinical experience in a surgical specialty, familiarity with regulatory pathways (510(k), De Novo, PMA), or experience with health economics and reimbursement analysis.
Location & details#
- Location: Sunnyvale, California.
- Term: Summer 2027 (10-12 weeks).
- Schedule: Full-time, approximately 40 hours per week, starting in May or June.
- Modality: On-site.
- Compensation: This is a paid internship.
About Intuitive
Intuitive operates in the medical equipment manufacturing sector. The company develops robotic-assisted surgery systems and technology for minimally invasive care. It was founded in 1995 and maintains its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The organization employs over 10,000 people.
How to get in at Intuitive
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