Co-op, Bioassay Development

Research & Development           ·           Cambridge, MA          ·           Full time 

• Cambridge, MA
• Full-time
• Department: Research & Development
• Region: US

Company Description

At Biogen, our mission is clear – we are pioneers in neuroscience. Biogen discovers, develops, and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Together, our employees create, commercialize, and manufacture transformative therapies for our patient population. 

We at Biogen are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients who we serve. We are focused on strengthening our foundation to advance our overall Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategy and, most importantly, ensure all our employees feel included.

As an intern or co-op at Biogen, you can expect to be placed on a real project, under the guidance of experienced professionals and subject matter experts who are invested in your career and academic growth. We also ensure that you have plenty of opportunities to build your network, learn more about our organization through weekly lunch and learns led by leaders from across the company, and join us for several fun events.

Job Description

Summary 

This application is for a 6-month student role from January – June 2024. Resume review begins in October 2023. 

Biogen is seeking a creative co-op to join the Bioassays and High-Throughput Screens (BHTS) group within the Biotherapeutics and Medicinal Sciences (BTMS) department in Cambridge, MA.  

Position Description 

As a co-op student, you will: 

• Learn and apply cutting-edge technologies in early drug discovery to develop cell based or biochemical assays to identify and characterize molecules that modulate disease causing mechanisms or pathways  
• Use a variety of detection methods, including mass spectrometry, radiometry, luminescence, fluorescence, etc.    
• Gain experience in high throughput, in vitro and ex vivo techniques, including but not limited to, bioassay automation, cell culture, cell membrane extraction, ELISAs, and mass spectrometry-based assays. 
• Work with BHTS colleagues to develop microplate-based kinetics assay to characterize drug molecule interaction with therapeutic targets of interest 
• Involve in and learn the data analysis and visualization techniques for bioassay data formatting and pipelining.  

Qualifications

To participate in the Biogen Internship Program, students must meet the following eligibility criteria: 

• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. 
• At least 18 years of age prior to the scheduled start date 
• Be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university 

Additional qualifications: 

• Basic laboratory experience 
• Good communication and inter-personal skills 
• Efficiently manage time to enable pursuit of multiple objectives in parallel 
• Experience in biological sample preparation, liquid-liquid extraction, protein purification and quantification, gel electrophoresis, and western blotting 
• Experience of assay development or enzyme kinetics measurements using detection systems such as fluorescent, luminescent, mass-spectrometric, or radiometric methods 

Preferred qualifications: 

• Hands experience with programming languages, such as R/Python for data analysis and visualization 
• Experience in mammalian cell culture or transfection  
• Experience in working with membrane proteins 
• Experience in mammalian cell membrane preparation and quantification 
• Experience in mass-spectrometric binding assays  
• Experience in testing small molecules in cell-based or biochemical assays in 96- or 384-well plates and working knowledge of semi-automated liquid handling  
• Experience performing data analysis and visualization using appropriate software 

Education 

• PhD, Masters, or Undergraduate Junior/Senior students.  
• Majoring in: Biology, Biochemistry, Biological/Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field. 
• Strongly Preferred: Completion of at least the first-year graduate studies before coop starts with current and active enrollment in a M.S. or Ph.D. program in biology, biochemistry, or a related discipline. 

Additional Information

Why Biogen?

Our mission to find therapies for neurological and rare diseases is a unique focus within our industry and this shared purpose is what connects us as a team. We work together to overcome obstacles and to follow the science. We are resilient as we strive to make an impact on our patients’ lives and on changing the course of medicine. Together, we pioneer. Together, we thrive.

At Biogen, we are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. We know that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives make us a stronger and more innovative company, and we are focused on building teams where every employee feels empowered and inspired. Read on to learn more about our DE&I efforts.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Biogen is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.

Please click here to apply.