Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company focused on tackling serious diseases. They are offering a summer internship program for students pursuing advanced degrees in quantitative sciences, where interns will gain experience in statistical programming and biostatistics while working on meaningful projects.
Responsibilities
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) / Tool Calling / Function Calling
- Prompt Engineering / Semantic Search / Context Retrieval
- LLM Agent / AI Agent / LLM APIs (OpenAI, Azure OpenAI)
- Chatbot Development (internal tools) / Embedding Models
- R Shiny• • This role requires applied LLM systems tied to R-based analytics tools (Shiny app). Focus on models, not usage
- Basic software engineering skills will be a plus, such as the ability to implement key UI features including: File upload/download (Excel, Word, RTF); Dropdown menus, text input fields, editable tables; Dynamic code editor panel (e.g., via {shinyAce}); Workflow navigation (tabs or step-by-step)
- (Complementary skills) Knowledge of Clinical Data Flow or Pharma Context, knowledge of data science, SAS, R, or Python
- (Complementary skills) NLP, Semantic Search, Embeddings, APIs, Git/GitHub
- Enjoy exploring programming details and learning know technologies
- Present research results and learnings to the Statistical Programming department and broader audience at departmental seminars and/or company poster sessions
- Summarize the work for future departmental use and potentially produce a peer-reviewed publication
- Attend seminars and other company activities to enhance the understanding of the drug development process and daily work of either statistical programmers or biostatisticians in a biotechnology company
Skills
- Currently enrolled in a graduate-level curriculum leading to a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics or Biostatistics or other quantitative science (e.g., data science, etc.)
- Currently enrolled in a Master degree in Computer science, Statistics or Biostatistics or other quantitative science (e.g., data science, etc.)
- Be in good academic standing within your graduate program and at your university
- Legal authorization to work in the United States, now and in the future. Please note that Vertex does not provide sponsorship for internships or entry level roles within this part of the organization
- You must be available to work full-time, 40 hours per week from May – August 2026
- Possess a tracked record of accomplishment, including publications, awards, presentations, coding projects
- Experience with natural language processing and python is preferred but not required
- Have excellent communication, presentation, and leadership skills
- Have actual project experience in software development
- Demonstrated experience with cross-disciplinary application of statistical methods
- Genuine interest in clinical development and regulatory affairs
Benefits
- Free 24/7 onsite gym access and free access to group exercise classes
- Subsidized commuter benefits- transit and parking
- Provided meals—free breakfast daily!
- Career development opportunities and events, including C Suite engagement
- Social events—both intern-only and company-wide
- Location-specific perks and extras!
- Recognition of National Intern Day
- Medical, dental and vision benefits
- Generous paid time off (including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter)
- Educational assistance programs including student loan repayment
- A generous commuting subsidy
- Matching charitable donations
- 401(k)
Company Overview
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery and development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. It was founded in 1989, and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with a workforce of 5001-10000 employees. Its website is http://www.vrtx.com.
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