2026 siRNA Conjugate Development Intern (PhD)

Company Description

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 – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at . Follow @abbvie on X , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , LinkedIn and Tik Tok .

Job Description

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.

R&D Process Engineering, a part of AbbVie R&D’s Development Sciences organization, is responsible for designing and developing scalable processes to make drug substances and drug products, including small molecules, peptides, and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), throughout pre-clinical and clinical development stages. R&D Process Engineering also partners with Biologics CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) Development and Aesthetics R&D functions to provide active engineering support to enable robust process scale-up and manufacturing of biologics drug substances and drug products including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and cosmetic active ingredients (CAIs). We contribute to the development of innovative engineering technologies and create valuable intellectual property through the composition of matter, chemical processes, and technologies resulting in cost-effective commercial manufacturing processes. We support the development of the supply chain for pipeline molecules and help prepare and defend CMC regulatory content.

Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates represent a transformative approach for delivering genetic medicines selectively to disease sites. This internship will focus on the development of a sophisticated kinetic model for siRNA conjugation to various antibody forms (mAb, Fab, scFv-fusion) and optimization of conjugation reaction conditions. This work will significantly enhance the understanding and development of this platform with the potential for a peer reviewed publication.

Key responsibilities include:

• Establishment of a robust lab-scale process that generates stable antibody-siRNA conjugates.

• Development of a mathematical model based on experimental data to enable precise predictions of how variations in reaction conditions modulate conjugation efficiency and stability.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications 

• Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering, material science and engineering, pharmaceutical sciences and engineering, or other related field.

• Must be enrolled in university for at least one semester following the internship.

• Experience with bioconjugation and/or kinetic modeling.

• Excellent organizational skills and research and development expertise.

• Demonstrated strong communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate theories and concepts.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Expected graduation date between December 2026 – July 2027.

• Experience with antibody-drug conjugation and conjugation reaction optimization.

• Analytical methodology such as size exclusion chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography.

Additional Information

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

Benefits and Amenities:​

• Competitive pay​

• Relocation support for eligible students​

• Select wellness benefits and paid holiday / sick time ​

• 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.​

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.

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