Vertex Summer 2026 Intern, Preclinical Modeling and Simulation, DMPK

Vertex Pharmaceuticals•Boston, MA

1d•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. Why Vertex? Real Projects: You’ll work on assignments that make a real impact, not just busy work. Mentorship & Networking: Connect with leaders and peers who want to see you succeed through professional networks, connections, and collaborations that will shape your longer-term career. Flexible & Supportive: We offer flexible work options with Flex @ Vertex and prioritize your wellbeing. Inclusive Culture: Collaboration and inclusion are embedded in everything we do. Career Launchpad: Build skills, explore career paths, and get guidance for your future career. Ready to apply? Submit your application and let’s turn possibilities into reality! Your Impact The Vertex Research internship program is a multi-week experiential training program for students currently working towards an advanced degree in Applied Mathematics, Computational Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, 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 Drug Metabolism Pharmacokinetics functional areas and serve as a launchpad for your career. Important Notice Regarding Internship and Co-op Inquiries At Vertex Pharmaceuticals, we are committed to providing a fair and structured recruitment process for all students interested in internship and co-op opportunities. To ensure consistency and equity, all student applications must go through our Early Talent Acquisition Team. Due to the high volume of interest, we are unable to respond to individual solicitation. Direct solicitation to Vertex employees- including senior leaders via email will result in removal from the recruiting process. We appreciate your enthusiasm and interest in Vertex. To be considered for internship or co-op roles, please apply directly through our official application channels. (https://www.vrtx.com/careers/career-growth-and-opportunities/internships/) Thank you for respecting our process and helping us maintain a fair experience for all candidates. What you will be doing: The Preclinical Modeling and Simulation (pM&S) team within the DMPK department uses mathematical models and computational tools to predict, optimize, and quantify the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drug candidates. This intern position will work with the pM&S team to develop mechanistic and systems-based models of diseases for translational research purposes.

Requirements

Enrolled in a graduate program, majoring in Applied Mathematics, Computational Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related field of study.
Significant experience (2-4 years minimum) using a programming language such as Matlab, Python, R, or Julia to numerically solve systems of ordinary differential equations is required for this position
Experience designing and implementing ordinary differential equation-based models of biological systems, including parameter optimization using time-series data
Experience importing, processing, and visualizing data using one of the programming languages listed above
History of publication and/or conference presentations in mathematical biology, quantitative pharmacology, or QSP
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

Knowledge of pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modeling, QSP, population pharmacokinetics (popPK), or graduate coursework in applied mathematics is desirable but not required
Knowledge of modeling softwares commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry such as Phoenix WinNonlin, SimBiology, SimCyp, or MonolixSuite is desirable but not required
Expertise in at least one specific disease area is desirable but not required

Responsibilities

Develop and implement quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models of relevant diseases in collaboration with the pM&S team
Source modeling techniques and approaches from literature sources or design novel models as necessary to address questions and inform decision making across programs
Collect relevant data from published sources as necessary for model calibration
Present and discuss research progress with the pM&S team, DMPK, and other stakeholders as appropriate