2026 Summer Intern | Pharmaceutical Development
About The Position
Ionis is offering a Summer Internship within our Pharmaceutical Development team for a motivated student interested in drug formulation, chemistry, and data driven research. This role provides hands on experience supporting the development of oligonucleotide-based medicines, including antisense oligonucleotides and siRNA therapeutics. The intern will work closely with an experienced scientist mentor on a research project focused on understanding how formulation components such as drug chemistry, pH, and buffering systems affect drug product performance. This internship is designed to help students connect classroom learning to real world pharmaceutical development while building strong technical and professional skills.
Requirements
- Currently enrolled in a bachelors, masters, or doctoral program in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, or a related field
- Completion of general and organic chemistry coursework or equivalent
- Strong interest in pharmaceutical or biotech research
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a laboratory setting
- MUST be currently enrolled in a U.S. Undergraduate and/or Graduate Degree Program and not graduating prior to the completion of the Ionis internship.
- MUST be able to begin internship between 6/8 and 8/14/2026.
- MUST be able and willing to remain in program through at least 8/14/2026.
- MUST be able and willing to commit to a minimum 40-hour work week.
Nice To Haves
- Coursework or experience in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, or pharmaceutics
- Familiarity with pH, buffers, or acid base chemistry
- Experience with data analysis tools such as Excel, JMP, Graphpad Prism
- Curiosity, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for learning
Responsibilities
- Conduct laboratory experiments to evaluate formulation properties such as pH and buffer capacity
- Assist with experimental planning, sample preparation, and data collection
- Analyze and interpret experimental data using basic modeling and data analysis tools
- Learn how formulation decisions impact drug stability, quality, and patient experience
- Prepare summaries and presentations to share findings with the project team
- Collaborate with scientists across Pharmaceutical Development and related functions
Benefits
- Ionis offers paid positions
- Weekly stipend (for onsite students only)
- Professional Networking
- End-of-program project presentations
- Housing/Travel assistance available for eligible, out-of-area interns
- Networking and bonding social events
- Interaction with diverse and motivated teams/departments
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
