Summer Intern - Pharmacogenomics Data Science & Genomic Prediction (VMRD)

Zoetis; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoetis PAH VMRD seeks a summer intern to support a pharmacogenomic project exploring how genetic variation influences treatment response in livestock. You will mine dairy cattle health data, define treatment response phenotypes for mastitis, and develop proof-of-concept genomic prediction models for a first-of-its-kind pharmacogenomic decision support system in animal health.

The role involves collaborating with a project team lead, applying GWAS/genomic prediction techniques, and presenting

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Master's or PhD program in Animal Science, Quantitative Genetics, Animal Breeding & Genomics, Bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
• Experience with genomic data analysis, including GWAS, genomic prediction, and/or variance component estimation using mixed models.
• Proficiency in at least one programming or statistical environment (R, Python, SAS, or equivalent) for large-scale data manipulation and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Extract, clean, and integrate clinical treatment records and health event data from dairy herd management systems (e.g., Dairy Comp 305) and link with existing genotype data to build analysis-ready datasets.
• Define and construct treatment response phenotypes for mastitis/ bovine respiratory disease.
• Evaluate existing SNP panel and sequence data to identify DNA markers and candidate genomic regions with potential predictive value for treatment outcomes.
• Develop and test proof-of-concept genomic prediction models (e.g., GBLUP, BayesR, or machine learning approaches) for treatment response traits.

Skills

Genomic data analysis

Statistical modeling

Data wrangling

Communication

Education

Master's or PhD in Animal Science/Quantitative Genetics/Genomics

Tools

R

Python

SAS

Job description

Internship Summary:

Zoetis Precision Animal Health - Veterinary Medicine Research & Development (PAH VMRD) is seeking a summer intern to support a pharmacogenomic project, a novel platform exploring how genetic variation influences treatment response in livestock. The intern will work directly with the project team lead to mine and integrate dairy cattle health and treatment datasets, define treatment response phenotypes for mastitis, and develop proof-of-concept genomic prediction models contributing to a first-of-its-kind pharmacogenomic decision support system for animal health.

Internship Job Duties:

• Extract, clean, and integrate clinical treatment records and health event data from dairy herd management systems (e.g., Dairy Comp 305) and link with existing genotype data to build analysis-ready datasets.
• Define and construct treatment response phenotypes for mastitis/ bovine respiratory disease, including clinical cure, bacteriological cure, relapse, recurrence.
• Evaluate existing SNP panel and sequence data to identify DNA markers and candidate genomic regions with potential predictive value for mastitis/bovine respiratory disease treatment outcomes.
• Develop and test proof-of-concept genomic prediction models (e.g., GBLUP, BayesR, or machine learning approaches) for treatment response traits, including preliminary accuracy and heritability estimates.

Internship Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a Master's or PhD program in Animal Science, Quantitative Genetics, Animal Breeding & Genomics, Bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
• Experience with genomic data analysis, including GWAS, genomic prediction, and/or variance component estimation using mixed models.
• Proficiency in at least one programming or statistical environment (R, Python, SAS, or equivalent) for large-scale data manipulation and analysis.
• Familiarity with livestock health data, dairy herd management systems, or genomic selection concepts is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to work independently and present results to a cross-functional team.

The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position:

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $16.00 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $22.00 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $32.50 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $36.00 per hour

The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position if a selected candidate were to be located in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois (Chicago area), Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington (Seattle area):

Student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $17.00 per hour

Student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $24.20 per hour

Student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $36.40 per hour

Student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $40.30 per hour

About Zoetis

At Zoetis, our purpose is to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals. As a Fortune 500 company and the world leader in animal health, we discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other technologies for companion animals and livestock. We know our people drive our success. Our award-winning culture, built around our Core Beliefs, focuses on our colleagues' careers, connection and support. We offer competitive healthcare and retirement savings benefits, along with an array of benefits, policies and programs to support employee well-being in every sense, from health and financial wellness to family and lifestyle resources.

Notice: Zoetis Recruiters will contact candidates via email from an address ending in @zoetis.com and may also initially connect with candidates through LinkedIn, including LinkedIn InMail. Zoetis does not use Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or other web-based/generic email domains to communicate about job opportunities, interviews, or offers of employment. If you receive a recruitment-related email message claiming to be from Zoetis that does not come from @zoetis.com, please treat it as suspicious. For your security, do not reply, click links, open attachments, share personal or financial information, or send money in response to unexpected or questionable recruitment communications.