Intern, Physical Biochemistry

About Biogen: 

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.  

Summary 

This application is for a 12-week internship role from June - August 2024. Resume review begins in January 2024. 

The Physical Biochemistry group, within the Biotherapeutic and Medicinal Sciences department at Biogen, is active in early-stage drug discovery research. The group’s primary focus is on generating and characterizing drug targets of interest using biophysical and structural techniques. Physical Biochemistry supports multiple projects and modalities throughout Biogen and is responsible for providing expertise and producing high-quality material for various assays and research efforts. 

Position Description 

We are looking for a highly motivated student to join our Physical Biochemistry group within the department of Biotherapeutic and Medicinal Sciences at Biogen for a summer internship. The successful candidate will be part of a fast-paced and innovative environment actively pursuing unmet medical needs in the neuroscience space. The primary focus of this role is to clone, express, and purify recombinant target proteins and biophysically characterize them. The ideal candidate should be detail oriented and demonstrate an ability to clearly document and communicate their experimental results and display independent problem-solving skills.  

Qualifications: 

The successful candidate should have several of the qualifications below:   

• Molecular Biology: Classroom study with laboratory preferred. May possess working knowledge of construct design and basic molecular biology (PCR & cloning) 
• Protein Expression and Purification: Candidate should have experience with expression and purification of proteins from E. coli, insect, or mammalian hosts with use of Akta Express, Avant or equivalent protein purification systems. Must be adept at following established protocols for multi-step purifications and will work toward achieving independence in cell culture techniques and protein purification. The candidate should also possess the scientific understanding behind the protocols and be able to modify them when the need arises.  
• Spectroscopy: Basic understanding of biophysical analytical techniques including but not limited to the following: SPR, DSF, microscopy, ITC, etc. 
• Structural Biology: Understanding of protein structure fundamentals and familiarity with techniques including x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy (negative stain and cryo-EM).  
• Troubleshoot and solve scientific and technical problems with minimal supervision. The candidate should be willing to quickly learn new techniques. 
• Must be excellent in organization and communication skills. The candidate is expected to document all aspects of the experiments performed and be able to conduct independent research to collect and archive all necessary information. 
• Innovative approaches to problem solving will be highly valued. 

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 

Education 

• Current undergraduate or graduate students pursuing degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, Chemistry, or a related discipline. 

Location 

This role is on-site based in Cambridge, MA