2026 Summer Intern - Product Development Data Sciences and Analytics

Roche•South San Francisco, CA

1d•$50•Onsite

About The Position

This internship is in Statistical Methodology, a core function within Product Development Data Sciences and Analytics that enables use of the most appropriate quantitative methodology in pharmaceutical development. As experts in statistical methodology, the group collaborates with other data scientists to solve critical business problems. The group also stays at the forefront of pharmaceutical statistics and influences the external regulatory/statistical landscape, for example, by participating in cross-industry working groups, presenting at conferences, and publishing research. This internship position is located in South San Francisco, on-site. The Opportunity The decision to move a drug into Phase 3 is a critical one in drug development. Phase 3 (Ph3) studies are necessarily sized to demonstrate efficacy and so bear a large cost: time, out-of-pocket costs, etc. for patients, tens of millions of investment dollars for trial sponsors. Yet, 40-50% of Ph3 studies eventually fail. Making better decisions, even by a few percentage points, is therefore of great benefit to patients and pharmaceutical companies. This 12-week internship presents an opportunity to explore, understand, and perhaps even rethink end-to-end drug development. Spiegelhalter and Freedman (1986) proposed the concept of assurance as a predictive approach to estimating a Ph3 trial’s probability of success, taking into account prior information about the experimental drug’s treatment effect. Since then, assurance has been increasingly adopted by industry companies to support Ph3 decision making (e.g., Hampson et al., 2022). Nevertheless, questions remain around its implementation, questions which, if answered, would improve adoption, communication, and performance. Responsibilities of the intern include: Perform literature search. Connect with full-time employees who are subject matter experts who are active in this area. Conduct research (e.g., simulations, derivations). Summarize and communicate findings to internal stakeholders. Enable adoption/implementation through documentation, publication, and/or software. Program Highlights Intensive 12-weeks, full-time (40 hours per week) paid internship. Program start dates are in May/June 2026. A stipend, based on location, will be provided to help alleviate costs associated with the internship. Ownership of challenging and impactful business-critical projects. Work with some of the most talented people in the biotechnology industry.

Requirements

Must be pursuing a PhD (enrolled student).
Biostatistics, Statistics, Mathematics or other related fields.
Understanding of statistical methods.
Experience in Working knowledge of programming in R and version control systems like Git.

Nice To Haves

Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
Complements our culture and the standards that guide our daily behavior & decisions: Integrity, Courage, and Passion.

Responsibilities

Perform literature search.
Connect with full-time employees who are subject matter experts who are active in this area.
Conduct research (e.g., simulations, derivations).
Summarize and communicate findings to internal stakeholders.
Enable adoption/implementation through documentation, publication, and/or software.