2026 Co-Op, Nucleic Acid Process Development

Moderna • Norwood, MA

17d • $20 - $60 • Onsite

About The Position

This is a winter / spring co-op opportunity in Norwood, MA from July 13th, 2026 – December 11th, 2026. Applicants must be available for the entire duration of the co-op. The Nucleic Acids Process Development organization at Moderna designs and scales manufacturing processes for DNA, enzymes, and mRNA medicines. Co-ops will join high-performing project teams developing new manufacturing platforms to produce mRNA therapeutics and vaccines for clinical trials and commercial licensure. You'll apply your educational background while gaining hands-on skills with unit operations that are standard across the industry such as enzymatic reactions, normal and tangential flow filtration and chromatographic purification. You'll deepen your understanding of control strategies to ensure processes consistently deliver medicines of the highest quality. This role, based at Norwood, MA site, will develop, scale, and transfer new and improved purification processes for DNA, enzymes to enable our clinical and commercial supply. The candidate will be expected to collaborate with other development scientists/engineers to execute and analyze experiments, define process development strategies, define manufacturing purification processes, and establish process parameters.

Requirements

• Current student enrolled in a Bachelors or Masters program in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics, Biostatistics, Biotechnology, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Science, Statistics, or a related field
• Strong fundamental scientific and engineering skills for the evaluation of experimental data
• Laboratory skills applicable to bioprocess development and analytical methods
• Candidates must already hold work authorization in US and be able to maintain that status without the need for future sponsorship
• This position is site-based, requiring you to be at Moderna's site full-time.
• This position is not eligible for remote work.

Nice To Haves

• GPA of 3.5 on a 4 scale or equivalent
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as the ability to contribute to high performing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A desire to make an impact as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, execute, and analyze experiments to develop existing and novel manufacturing processes to purify mRNA, DNA and enzymes
• Document experiments thoroughly in electronic lab notebooks
• Contribute to authoring process descriptions and internal technical reports
• Communicate and present findings to internal stakeholders
• Contribute to defining the manufacturing purification process, the process parameters, and the design space
• Collect and share relevant literature
• Establish strong, collaborative relationships within the team
• Additional duties as may be assigned as needed

Benefits

• Free premium access to meditation and mindfulness classes
• Subsidized commuter benefits
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick time, holidays, volunteer days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
• Location-specific perks and extras

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern