Professional Baseball Sports Science Internships

[Joseph B. Myers]

Description:
We are seeking candidates with a passion for winning through improving player development and performance, injury prevention, nutrition, and enhancing player well-being through sport science. These unique positions offer interns the opportunity to integrate sports science, athletic training, and nutrition aimed at improving the performance and well-being of players across the entire Rays organization. Both full season (Feb – Oct) and summer positions (May – Sept) will be considered. Please note that these internship positions often have the potential to lead to full-time employment offers with the Rays organizations, but such an offer is not guaranteed.

Responsibilities:

• Implement and maintain various sports science, nutrition, and sports medicine research initiatives across the Rays organization.
• Data collection and analyses of a variety of sports science data sources, for the purpose of player evaluation, injury risk assessment, athlete well-being assessment, decision analysis, etc.
• For interns with appropriate credentialing, assist with providing athletic training and/or nutrition services to our players.
• Effectively interact and communicate with a diverse team of individuals from all across the organization including sport science staff, sports medicine personnel, registered dietitians, front office personnel, coaches, medical and scouting.
• Exploration of new sports science technologies that may provide novel, impactful value to the organization.
• Assist with data integration into our current databases of all sports science and medical assessment data sources.
• Various other sports science, nutrition, and athletic training focused daily duties across the organization, as necessary.

Qualifications:

• A strong foundation in sports science including, but not limited to biomechanics, sports medicine, exercise physiology, athletic training, and/or neuromuscular control. Graduate level education in these areas is highly desired.
• A strong foundation in nutritional sciences. Graduate level education in these areas is highly desired.
• Clinical experience (and accompanying certifications) in the areas of athletic training and/or nutrition are highly desired.
• Demonstrated experience and coursework in statistics, computer science, and/or engineering is beneficial.
• In addition to working closely with the broader Baseball Performance Science team, we desire candidates who will challenge the status quo and explore new research opportunities. Previous interns have developed ideas that have changed the way the organization approaches important challenges.

Ideal candidates will possess:

• Trustworthiness and the ability to maintain the confidentiality of work materials and processes.
• Strong work ethic and attention to detail.
• Open-mindedness and respect for others’ opinions.
• Desire and aptitude to develop new skills.
• Ability to develop and execute advanced research study designs to evaluate complex questions.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex ideas to a variety of audiences.

Application Procedures:
To apply, please send an email to bbopsresumes@raysbaseball.com with the subject “2018 Sports Science Internship” and include:

• A resume or vita
• Unofficial transcripts for both undergraduate and graduate degrees
• Copies of proof of any pertinent credentials (ATC, RD, CSSD, etc.)
• Names and contact information for 3 academic and/or research references
• Responses to the following questions:
  • What dates are you available for the internship?
  • What sports science and nutrition coursework and research experience do you possess that will benefit the Tampa Bay Rays organization and how? Please limit your response to 100 words or less.
  • Please describe a sports science project that you believe would add substantial value to a baseball team. In that description, please provide an overview of how you would complete the project and the value added. Please limit your response to 200 words or less.

Please address questions regarding the positions to:
Joseph B. Myers, PhD, ATC
Director: Baseball Performance Science
Tampa Bay Rays Baseball
jmyers@raysbaseball.com