Vertex Summer 2025 Intern, Predictive and Investigative Safety Assessment

$54,080 - $104,000/Yr

Vertex Pharmaceuticals - San Diego, CA

Full-time - Intern

San Diego, CA

Chemical Manufacturing

About the position

The Vertex Internship Program provides students with a hands-on opportunity to learn about the pharmaceutical industry, specifically within the Predictive and Investigative Safety Assessment group (PISA). Interns will engage in projects that involve analyzing rat kidney transcriptomic data and conducting predictive weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). This role aims to identify key molecular pathways and biomarkers related to kidney toxicity, contributing to a systems toxicology framework for understanding drug-induced kidney damage. Interns will gain valuable experience in bioinformatics and predictive toxicology while collaborating with industry experts.

Responsibilities

• Build a signed weighted gene co-expression network using a rat kidney microarray dataset.
• Experiment with different WGCNA parameters and perform correlation analysis to identify key genes driving co-expression patterns.
• Adapt from the publicly available codebase of WGCNA and collaborate with SMEs in PISA and DCS to validate the workflow.
• Document code thoroughly and learn/apply best practices of computational tool development.
• Present progress in formal and informal settings.

Requirements

• MS or PhD in Life Sciences with a strong computational focus, Mathematics, Statistics, or Computer Science with a strong interest in biology.
• Experience with programming (R/Bioconductor).
• Strong work ethic with excellent scientific skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently.
• Knowledge of Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Toxicology, or Preclinical Safety.
• Permanent legal authorization to work in the United States.
• Candidate must be enrolled in an advanced degree program if graduating before June 2025.
• Candidate must be available to work full-time, 40 hours per week from June - September 2025.

Benefits

• Competitive pay range of $26.00 - $50.00 USD/hour.
• Opportunity to work full-time during the summer internship program.
• Exposure to organizational leaders and teams.