2026 Future Talent Program – Cellular Pharmacology - Intern

Merck • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Future Talent Program features internships that last up to 12 weeks and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Research and Development Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals. Our Research Scientists are our Inventors. Our goal is to identify pharmacological agents that are effective against disease targets. We leverage innovative thinking, state-of-the-art facilities, robust scientific methodology and a collaborative environment to discover world changing medical breakthroughs. The Cellular Pharmacology group in the department of Quantitative Biosciences at a company of Research Laboratories in Boston is seeking an inquisitive and enthusiastic intern with a strong background in Cell and Molecular Biology to join our team. The successful candidate will play an essential role in developing assays in cellular context for screening and translational relevance. The alignment of these screening and translational assays with biochemical, ex-vivo and in-vivo approaches will greatly enhance our capabilities in the discovery of innovative therapeutics.

Requirements

• Basic knowledge of cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology
• Prior experience with mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, and cellular engineering
• Highly motivated and driven and willing to take initiative to learn new science
• Strong team player
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Comfortable using a PC computer and proficient in Windows-based operating systems and basic applications, such as spreadsheets and databases
• Candidates must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, majoring in biological sciences or a related field
• Candidates should have a GPA of 3.3 or higher
• Must be available for full-time for 10-12 weeks during the months of June - August 2026

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with members of the department to investigate cellular in vitro pharmacology against a variety of targets across diverse therapeutic areas.
• Conduct cell-based assays to understand compound potency, characterize cellular signaling, and mechanisms of action.
• Engineering and validating cell models to inform on MoA
• Work with liquid handling stations and plate readers [Echo, Bravo, Envision, Spectramax and Mesoscale
• Independently analyze and interpret data, and trouble shoot experiments.
• Function and communicate effectively in a highly productive and multi-disciplinary environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed