Vertex Summer 2026 Intern, Formulation Development, Small Molecule

Vertex Pharmaceuticals•Boston, MA

1d•$20 - $32•Hybrid

About The Position

Kickstart Your Career at Vertex! Are you ready to make a real impact? At Vertex, our mission is to tackle serious diseases and to change lives, for the better, for the future. Our aim is to give you the skills, insights, and career guidance to be an important part of that future; to turn your potential into progression. As a Vertex intern or co-op, you’ll work on meaningful projects, collaborate with talented teams, and learn from industry leaders. We’re passionate about innovation, inclusion, and supporting your growth—inside and outside the lab. The Vertex Formulation Development Small Molecule internship program is a multi-week experiential training program for students currently working towards a Doctorate degree in an Engineering or Science field (Pharmaceutical Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry), or a related field of study. If you are passionate, collaborative, and growth-minded, an internship at Vertex will help you gain meaningful experience in our formulation functional areas and serve as a launchpad for your career. We are seeking a motivated summer intern to join our Formulation Development Department at Vertex in Boston, MA. The Formulation Development group focuses on developing small-molecule formulation and processes to bring transformative medicines to patients. The intern will work closely with formulation scientists to develop an in-process control container closure integrity method to determine the oxygen level in lyophilized drug products. The intern will develop a workflow to determine the oxygen ingress rate into vials, using laser headspace analysis. The intern will plan and execute experiments, analyze data, and present results to the team. This internship will also provide an opportunity to learn about parenteral drug development process.

Requirements

Must be currently enrolled in a PhD program in engineering/science field (Pharmaceutical Science, Chemical engineering, Chemistry or similar).
Minimum GPA of 3.2
Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to think critically.
Strong math skills particularly as applied to material/energy balances, and intermediate applied statistical analysis
Ability to work effectively and comfortably in a multi-disciplinary team under defined timelines
Legal authorization to work in the United States, now and in the future.
You must be enrolled in an advanced degree program if graduating before August 2026
You must be available to work full-time, 40 hours per week from May – August 2026

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience in parenteral formulation development techniques
Hands on experience in lyophilization is a plus

Responsibilities

Review literature of Lyophilization theory / process, and equipment familiarization
Review literature and understand the importance of container closure integrity for parenteral drug products
Understand theory of FMS-Oxygen Headspace Analyzer and equipment familiarization
Sample preparation by lyophilization of drug product filled at different N2 pressure, including positive controls
Establish a model and workflow to determine the time required for oxygen ingress into the vials and establish a predictable detection limit
Develop an in-process control container closure integrity method based on oxygen headspace for parenteral lyophilized drug product vials
Participate in group discussion and present project updates, including a final project summary to the broader department at the end of the internship