2027 Spring Intern - Purification, Microbiology, and Virology (PMV)

Roche•South San Francisco, CA

3d•$30 - $47•Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmaceutical Technical Development (PTD) department focuses on developing, delivering, and supporting robust, cost-effective production methods and technologies for innovative therapeutics. PTD is a recognized world leader in developing large-scale manufacturing processes, analytical methods, and drug delivery systems. The Purification, Microbiology, and Virology (PMV) department within PTD is responsible for developing, characterizing, validating, and implementing recombinant protein and novel therapeutic purification processes, along with strict microbial and virus control, from laboratory to manufacturing scale. PMV team members engage in process development, commercial product support, continuous improvement, and innovation projects. This internship offers a broad perspective on developing new processes, methods, and technologies in the biotechnology industry. Interns will work with scientists and engineers on wet-lab, dry-lab, or digital experiments at the intersection of process development and data science to support therapeutic production at scale. Previous projects have included downstream processing innovations, raw material/processing step evaluations, adventitious agent/virus clearance strategies, protein structure/stability studies, purification strategies for impurities, high throughput assay workflow development, and optimization of data analysis using AI platforms.

Requirements

Must be enrolled pursuing a Bachelor's degree at a minimum of sophomore standing, OR have attained a Bachelor's Degree (not currently enrolled in a graduate program), OR be pursuing a Master's Degree (enrolled student), OR have attained a Master's Degree, OR be pursuing a PhD (enrolled student), OR have attained a PhD.
Majors: Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Biophysics, Computer Science & Engineering, or related disciplines.
Detail-oriented, enthusiastic, and self-motivated individual excited about tackling complex scientific challenges in an industrial setting.
Excellent written and verbal communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
Complements corporate culture and values: Integrity, Courage, and Passion.
High degree of adaptability and ability to exercise independent judgment to solve problems creatively.
Relevant work experience in research labs or the biotechnology industry.
Knowledge of large-scale biopharmaceutical manufacturing and purification processes (harvest, chromatography, filtration, UF/DF), including scale-up/scale-down, biochemical engineering principles, and data analysis.
Familiarity with other departments within the biopharmaceutical industry (cell culture, analytics, quality control, MSAT, etc.).
Understanding of cGMP/GLP requirements and exposure to statistical/multivariate data analysis techniques.
Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively in multi-disciplinary or cross-functional teams to implement technical changes and process improvements.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with proteins.
AKTA Avant Chromatography (column packing, Affinity, IEX, HIC, &/or Multimodal chromatography).
pH / conductivity, buffer preparation, pipetting.
Technical communication (ELN, report writing, presentations).
HPLC-SEC.
UV-Vis.
Lab Automation (Robotic Liquid Handlers, batch binding screens, robocolumns).
Normal Flow Filtration (constant flux, constant pressure, viral filtration, depth filtration).
Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) or Ultrafiltration Diafiltration (UF/DF).

Responsibilities

Design, execute, and analyze wet-lab, dry-lab, or digital-based experiments.
Support diverse development activities needed to produce therapeutics at scale for patients.
Conduct research on innovative downstream processing approaches.
Evaluate novel raw materials or processing steps.
Develop new clearance strategies and/or steps for adventitious agents and viruses.
Perform protein structure and stability studies.
Develop purification strategies for problematic impurities or species.
Develop high throughput assay workflows.
Optimize and automate data analysis using AI platforms.