2027 Spring Intern - Purification, Microbiology, and Virology (PMV)

Department Summary

Pharmaceutical Technical Development (PTD) develops, delivers, and supports robust, cost-effective production methods and technologies for innovative therapeutics to meet the needs of Genentech’s Research, Development, Commercial, and Product Operations groups. PTD has long been recognized as a world leader in developing large-scale manufacturing processes, sophisticated analytical methods, and effective drug delivery systems.

The Purification, Microbiology, and Virology (PMV) department resides within PTD and is responsible for developing, characterizing, validating and implementing recombinant protein and novel therapeutic purification processes, and implementing strict microbial and virus control for these processes, from laboratory to manufacturing scale. A PMV team member may be responsible for process development, commercial product support, continuous improvement activities, innovation projects, or other activities within the function.

This internship position is located on-site in South San Francisco, California.

The Opportunity

This program provides a broad perspective and appreciation of the development of new processes, methods, and technologies at different production scales in the biotechnology industry. 

Candidates applying for the PMV Internship position should be passionate about science/engineering and thoroughly enjoy the challenges associated with complex problem-solving. Candidates must be highly self-motivated and able to work effectively as individuals and as part of multi-disciplinary teams in an atmosphere of casual intensity to develop medicines for unmet medical needs.

Interns within PMV will work alongside scientists and engineers to design, execute, and analyze wet-lab, dry-lab, or digital-based experiments on the interface of process development and data science in support of the diverse development activities needed to produce therapeutics at scale for patients. Previous internship projects have included but are not limited to:

• Innovative downstream processing approaches aimed at boosting efficiency, adaptability, and cost savings

• Evaluation of novel raw materials or processing steps to improve productivity and sustainability

• Development of new clearance strategies and/or steps for adventitious agents and viruses

• Protein structure and stability studies to inform process robustness

• Purification strategies for problematic impurities or species 

• High throughput assay workflow development to assess purification and bioconjugate process development

• Optimization and automation of data analysis using AI platforms

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Program Highlights

• Intensive 6 months (with a possible 6-month extension) full-time (40 hours per week) paid internship.

• Program start dates are in January 2027.

• A stipend, based on location, will be provided to help alleviate costs associated with the internship.

• Ownership of challenging and impactful business-critical projects.

• Work with some of the most talented people in the biotechnology industry.

• Final presentations of project work to senior leaders.

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Who You Are (Required) 

Required Education: You meet one of the following criteria:

• Must be enrolled pursuing a Bachelor's degree at a minimum of sophomore standing. 

• Must have attained a Bachelor's Degree (not currently enrolled in a graduate program).

• Must be pursuing a Master's Degree (enrolled student).

• Must have attained a Master's Degree.

• Must be pursuing a PhD (enrolled student).

• Must have attained a PhD.

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Required Majors: Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Biophysics, Computer Science & Engineering, or related disciplines.
 

Required skills:

• Detail-oriented, enthusiastic, and self-motivated individual excited about tackling complex scientific challenges in an industrial setting.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.

• Complements our corporate culture and values: Integrity, Courage, and Passion.

• High degree of adaptability and ability to exercise independent judgment to solve problems creatively.

• Relevant work experience in research labs or the biotechnology industry.

• Knowledge of large-scale biopharmaceutical manufacturing and purification processes (harvest, chromatography, filtration, UF/DF), including scale-up/scale-down, biochemical engineering principles, and data analysis.

• Familiarity with other departments within the biopharmaceutical industry (cell culture, analytics, quality control, MSAT, etc.)

• Understanding of cGMP/GLP requirements and exposure to statistical/multivariate data analysis techniques.

• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively in multi-disciplinary or cross-functional teams to implement technical changes and process improvements.
   

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications

• Experience working with proteins.

• AKTA Avant Chromatography (column packing, Affinity, IEX, HIC, &/or Multimodal chromatography).

• pH / conductivity, buffer preparation, pipetting.

• Technical communication (ELN, report writing, presentations).

• HPLC-SEC.
  UV-Vis.

• Lab Automation (Robotic Liquid Handlers, batch binding screens, robocolumns).

• Normal Flow Filtration (constant flux, constant pressure, viral filtration, depth filtration).

• Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) or Ultrafiltration Diafiltration (UF/DF).

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Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting. 

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $30.00-$47.00 per hour.  Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position also qualifies for paid holiday time off benefits.

Genentech is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants.