2027 Future Talent Program – Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics – Intern

Merck; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 39,000 - 111,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangements

Mentorship from scientists

Publication opportunities

Job summary

Merck's Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics (QP2) internship in Translational Medicine offers a 2027 Summer program with projects in pharmacometrics, PK/PD modeling, and data science across drug development stages. You will work with experienced scientists and mentors on innovative models and cross-functional collaboration.

Gain hands-on experience, contribute to publications, and present findings in a global pharmaceutical research setting.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a PhD or MS degree program in Pharmacometrics, Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical PK/PD, Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Statistics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or related areas.
• Available to work full-time for 10 to 12 consecutive weeks beginning in May or June of 2027.
• Strong programming experience in R, NONMEM, MATLAB, Monolix, SAS, Python.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply mathematical, physiological, pharmacological, and statistical models to support drug development decisions.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and mentors to advance quantitative capabilities.
• Contribute to scientific presentations, publications, and conference opportunities.

Skills

R

Python

MATLAB

NONMEM

Monolix

SAS

Git

PBPK

Education

PhD or MS in Pharmacometrics or related

Enrollment in relevant MS/PhD program

Tools

Phoenix NLME

Monolix

Job description

Job Description

The Future Talent Program features Cooperative (Co-op) education that lasts up to 6 months 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 Company Research Lab's Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics (QP2) group within the Translational Medicine department is seeking highly motivated students for the 2027 Summer Internship Program.

QP2 provides mathematical modeling, simulation, and pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis to enable drug development decisions across the pipeline - starting at discovery / preclinical investigation, through early-stage clinical trials, to late-stage clinical trials and drug registration.

As a QP2 intern, you will work closely with experienced scientists and mentors to develop and apply innovative mathematical, physiological, pharmacological, and statistical models that support drug development and advance quantitative capabilities within the organization. Interns will have opportunities to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, contribute to scientific presentations and publications, and gain broad exposure to the drug development process.

A wide variety of scientific projects will be available to interns, on topics such as (but not limited to):

• Pharmacometrics (PopPK, PK/PD Modeling, ER Analysis)
• Physiologically based Pharmacokinetics (PBPK)
• Translational modeling Semi-mechanistic modeling
• Interactive visualizations for modeling & simulation
• Automation and scaling of modeling analyses for rapid decision-making
• Machine learning and data science applications in clinical pharmacology
• Leveraging agentic AI workflows to solve drug development challenges
• We are seeking intern candidates with strong academic achievement, excellent communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to thrive in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Required Qualifications

• Candidates must be currently enrolled in a PhD or MS degree program in Pharmacometrics, Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical PK/PD, Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Statistics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or related areas.
• Candidates must be available to work full-time for 10 to 12 consecutive weeks beginning in May or June of 2027.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with programming languages such as R, NONMEM, MATLAB, Monolix, SAS, Phoenix NLME, Python
• Understanding of pharmacometric workflows, including:
• Data wrangling and quality control
• Model development and diagnostics
• Clinical trial simulation
• Exposure-response analysis
• Report generation and regulatory documentation
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong computational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with concepts such as Gen-AI, multi-agent workflows, tool orchestration, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
• Familiarity with software engineering best practices, including version control (Git), and code review.

What You Will Gain

• Strong understanding of clinical pharmacology and drug development principles
• Hands-on experience applying quantitative methods to solve real-world drug development challenges
• Mentorship from leading scientists in pharmacometrics and quantitative clinical pharmacology
• Exposure to cross-functional collaboration within a global pharmaceutical research organization
• Opportunities to contribute to scientific publications and conference presentations

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $39,108 through $111,111.

FTP2027

RL2027

San Francisco Residents Only:

We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Employee Status

Intern/Co-op (Fixed Term)

Relocation

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship

No

Travel Requirements

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

1st - Day

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

N/A

Job Posting End Date

10/9/2026

• A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID

R412399

Requirements

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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