For Engineers & Data Scientists
Your code can help cure cancer.
Join the Kyra's Hope Fellowship and contribute your engineering skills to rare-cancer research alongside world-class labs.
This is not a generic volunteer slot. It is a structured cohort with defined roles, real research data, and credentialed outcomes.
Your Work
What you'll actually build.
As a Kyra's Hope Fellow, you'll join a team of 3–5 engineers working directly with a pediatric cancer research lab as part of a Kyra Gupta Research Grant. You'll build the computational tools they need but can't create alone.
Genomic Data Pipelines
Process and analyze RNA sequencing, whole-genome, or multi-omics data from tumor samples.
ML Classification Models
Build models to classify tumor subtypes, predict drug response, or identify biomarkers.
Drug Screening Analysis
Analyze high-throughput drug screening data to identify combination therapy candidates.
Research Dashboards
Build interactive visualization tools for researchers to explore complex datasets.
Benefits
More than volunteering.
Co-Authorship on Publications
Fellows making substantive contributions receive co-authorship on resulting research papers per ICMJE guidelines.
LinkedIn Fellowship Credential
Official Kyra’s Hope Fellow designation you can display on your professional profile.
Real Research Portfolio
Real research artifacts you can point to: pipelines, models, papers, and analysis tools used by working labs.
Letters of Recommendation
Foundation and PIs can provide letters documenting your contribution to medical research.
Commitment
What we're asking
- 5 hours per week for 6 months
- Cohort-based with defined start and end dates (not rolling)
- Weekly async update to your team (3 bullets: done, blocked, next)
- Participate in Demo Day at the end of the cohort
We designed this to be sustainable alongside a full-time job. Think of it as one focused evening plus some weekend time per week.
Tracks
Two ways to contribute
Fellow Track
- For engineers with 2+ years of experience
- Light application process
- Contribute technical skills to a research project
- 5 hrs/week commitment
Tech Lead Track
- For senior engineers with 5+ years of experience
- Selective interview process
- Lead a team, manage the project, bridge research and engineering
- 5–7 hrs/week commitment
Skills
Skills that are most valuable
Bioinformatics experience is valuable but not required. We'll teach you the domain. You bring the engineering.
FAQ
Most-asked questions
No. This is a volunteer fellowship. The value is in the credential, co-authorship, portfolio, and the impact you make on pediatric cancer research.
5 hours per week for 6 months. Cohort-based with defined start and end dates, not rolling admission.
You’ll work with de-identified or synthetic data only. No HIPAA concerns.