2027 Formulation Sciences Intern (PhD)

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Relocation support

Wellness benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

AbbVie is offering a Formulation Sciences Internship within the Pharmaceutical Technology team in the United States (Illinois) to support late-stage formulation development for solid oral dosage forms. You will work with experienced scientists to study excipient compatibility, degradation mechanisms, and obtain data for potential conference submissions or publications.

The role involves presenting findings to leadership, collaborating on LC/MS analyses, and evaluating degradation kinetics under

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in university pursuing a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related scientific discipline.
• Must be enrolled for at least one semester following the internship.
• Expected graduation date between December 2027 – June 2028.
• Strong attention to detail and laboratory safety practices.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a laboratory setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Investigate the mechanism of excipient degradation in the presence of pH modifiers using appropriate analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC, titration and colorimetrical methods).
• Collaborate on LC/MS analysis to identify and characterize leachable degradants associated with the implications to stabilizing the drug substance in the formulation.
• Evaluate degradation kinetics under varying temperature and relative humidity conditions.
• Assess potential mitigation strategies, including formulation and process variables.
• Summarize experimental results and present findings and recommendations to the project team and department.

Skills

Attention to detail

Laboratory safety practices

Independent and collaborative work

Strong written and verbalcommunication

Analytical thinking

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related

Tools

HPLC

LC/MS

UV/Vis spectroscopy

Job description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Job Description

2027 Formulation Sciences Internship Overview

Envision spending your summer working with energetic colleagues and inspirational leaders, all while gaining world-class experience in one of the most dynamic organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a reality for AbbVie Interns.

Join AbbVie's Pharmaceutical Technology team within Product Development, Science, and Technology (PDS&T) to support late-stage formulation development for a solid oral dosage form. This internship focuses on investigating excipient compatibility, specifically the interaction between common solid oral excipients and chemical stability. The intern will work alongside experienced formulation scientists and analytical chemists to characterize this phenomenon and help define strategies to ensure robust, high-quality drug product formulations. The intern will also present findings to department leadership and potentially contribute to an external conference poster or publication.

Key responsibilities include:

• Investigate the mechanism of excipient degradation in the presence of pH modifiers using appropriate analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC, titration and colorimetrical methods).
• Collaborate on LC/MS analysis to identify and characterize leachable degradants associated with the implications to stabilizing the drug substance in the formulation.
• Evaluate degradation kinetics under varying temperature and relative humidity conditions.
• Assess potential mitigation strategies, including formulation and process variables.
• Summarize experimental results and present findings and recommendations to the project team and department.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related scientific discipline.
• Must be enrolled in university for at least one semester following the internship.
• Expected graduation date between December 2027 – June 2028.
• Strong attention to detail and laboratory safety practices.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a laboratory setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to formulation science, pharmaceutics, analytical chemistry, chemical engineering, or physical chemistry coursework.
• Hands-on experience with analytical chemistry (e.g., HPLC, LC/MS, UV/Vis spectroscopy).
• Familiarity with solid oral dosage form development.

Benefits And Amenities

• Competitive pay
• Relocation support for eligible students
• Select wellness benefits and paid holiday / sick time

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more: https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html