Pharmaceutical Lab Internship (Crystallization) Summer 2027

Varda Space Industries•El Segundo, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Varda is seeking a full-time, on-site summer intern to support the pharmaceutical team’s experimental screening and analysis of small-molecule or biologic crystallization. The internship runs between May and August 2027, with exact dates dependent on the selected student’s university schedule, and is based in Los Angeles, California. Interns contribute to mission-critical work at the intersection of pharmaceutical chemistry, materials science, and experimental process design in a fast-paced startup environment. Candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program. The role is intended for motivated students with prior research or laboratory experience in crystallization and offers opportunities to contribute to impactful projects while learning from Varda’s aerospace professionals.

Requirements

Currently enrolled in an accredited bachelor's or graduate degree program in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, or a similar physical or life science or engineering field.
At least three months of basic laboratory experience outside a classroom, including safe chemical handling, proper use of personal protective equipment, and maintaining a laboratory notebook.
Demonstrated practical, hands-on ability to execute laboratory experiments, such as chemical synthesis, clean-room nanofabrication, crystallization, or analytical characterization in a research lab, internship, REU, or co-op.
Desire to contribute in a technically complex, fast-moving environment and passion for expanding what can be done in space.
Must meet Varda’s U.S.-person eligibility requirement for access to export-controlled items: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with pharmaceutical crystallization.
Coursework in multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and heat/mass transfer.
Coursework in organic chemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, and spectroscopy.
Experience with synthetic chemistry techniques such as IR, mass spectrometry, and HNMR, as well as distillations and separations.
Exposure to programming or data analysis, such as Python or statistical tools.
Familiarity with one or more biophysical characterization techniques: DLS, nanoDSF, SEC, CD, or capillary electrophoresis.
Background in protein formulation, biologics drug product development, or protein biochemistry.

Responsibilities

Purify proteins and protein complexes.
Conduct purity and charge-variant analysis using SDS-PAGE and capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF).
Assess protein integrity before and after freeze-drying stress.
Characterize protein candidates using orthogonal biophysical analytical techniques to assess structure, stability, and interaction behavior.
Conduct crystallization screening of proteins and protein complexes.
Scale up crystallization processes.
Clearly report findings to the broader R&D team.
Optimize crystallization conditions through iterative testing.