Vertex Summer 2025 Intern, Clinical and Quantitative Pharmacology (Boston, MA)

Job Description

The Vertex Internship Program offers students the opportunity to learn about the pharmaceutical industry from a hands-on perspective. You will be working closely with and learning from some of the brightest people in the industry. When you join our internship program you should not be surprised to see that our environment is one that is innovative and team oriented, where collaboration is not just a word, and "we are relentless" is in everything we do. Students can expect to be challenged by their project plan, connect with other interns,and feel valued by the Vertex community. Not only will interns learn about their day-to-day tasks through their specific work assignments, but they will interact and have exposure to our organizational leaders and their teams.

Job Summary:

The Clinical and Quantitative Pharmacology (CQP) department at Vertex leads clinical pharmacology and clinical modeling & simulation efforts across all disease areas and clinical phases of drug development. There will be two CQP summer internship positions available with the opportunity to focus on clinical pharmacology (CP) or quantitative pharmacology (QP), depending on the student's experience and interest.

A Vertex CQP summer internship will provide a 12-week hands-on opportunity to experience some of the elements of CQP within drug development. Based on the project, an intern may participate in numerous activities, such as design and conduct of clinical pharmacology studies (e.g., first-in-human, drug interaction, food effect, special populations, ADME), or exploration of drug pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships and related analyses (e.g. population PK or other advanced modeling). Activities the successful candidate may be involved in, depending on the area of emphasis (CP or QP), include: drafting and reviewing clinical study protocols, reviewing clinical study report sections, creating analysis plans, learning to manipulate and create clinical analysis-ready datasets, build and evaluate models, execute analyses, and prepare informative outputs, graphics, and results representations.

During the 12-week appointment, the summer intern will also be exposed to various aspects of the drug development process and thereby gain a view into how the CQP functions fit within broader cross-functional drug development teams that often include preclinical disciplines, clinical development, clinical operations, bioanalysis, biostatistics, and more. Not only will interns learn about their day-to-day responsibilities, but they will interact with scientists from various levels, and with organizational leaders and their teams through a series of Professional Development Workshops that are provided during the summer.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical pharmacology activities may include the following (project dependent):

• Assist in designing clinical pharmacology studies and preparing related documents.
• Research literature, published studies, and regulatory guidances (e.g., FDA, ICH, EMA)
• Analyze and provide recommendations on concomitant medication use in clinical trials
• Conduct analyses of clinical trial PK data in Phoenix WinNonlin
• Prepare presentation(s) for various internal forums

Quantitative pharmacology activities may include the following (project dependent):

• Learn to work with and manipulate clinical data and data constructs
• Research literature, published studies, and/or regulatory guidances (e.g., FDA, ICH, EMA)
• Analyses of clinical trial PK and/or PK/PD data in NONMEM, R and/or related software
• Participate in the design and delivery of tabular outputs, graphics, and results.
• Present your results within the department and other internal forums

Qualifications:

• Students pursuing a PhD, Masters, or PharmD and enrolled in Fall 2025
• Third- or fourth-year undergraduate students with applicable modeling and/or coding experience may be considered
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills
• Communicate clearly through verbal and written communication
• A thorough understanding of drug metabolism, PK, and PK/PD principles
• Experience with PK and/or PK/PD analyses
• Experience with Phoenix WinNonlin
• Experience with R, Python, Julia or related programming languages
• Experience with NONMEM
• Permanent legal authorization to work in the United States
• Candidate must be enrolled in an advanced degree program if graduating before May 2025
• Candidate must be available to work full-time, 40 hours per week from May - August 2025

Program Dates: May - August 2025, Full Time

Pay Range 26.00 - 50.00 USD/hour

This job posting is for a temporary role with a third-party agency partner that provides services to Vertex. The individual selected for this role will be offered the role as an employee of that third-party agency; compensation, medical benefits, fringe benefits and other terms and conditions of employment shall be presented by the third-party agency upon offer. The range provided is a reasonable estimate for the pay range for this job at the time of posting. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements. The actual pay rate will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com