Bioinformatics Co-op

EMD Serono is the US and Canadian subsidiary and biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.As part of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany we are uniquely positioned to transform the stability and power of a globally networked organization into the direct impact of targeted, personal service for our customers.

At EMD Serono, we recognized the potential of specialty pharmaceuticals and patient care long ago and have been dedicated to delivering on their promise ever since. We have a legacy of both trying to find solutions too hard to treat conditions, as well as developing patient assistance programs that help ensure that those who need our therapies can access them.

As one of the top five U.S. companies exclusively focused on specialty care, we see our innovation as a matter of balancing science with emotion – integrating our top minds in research and development with the insights from patients and health care practitioners confronting real- world concerns.

EMD Serono's Bioinformatics group is looking for Coop students for Spring 2023. The start day is flexible. The position is full-time and will last at least 6 months. The selected candidate will work on several target discovery and biomarker development projects within the Immunology and/or Immuno-Oncology therapeutic areas. 

An ideal candidate has a strong background in data analytics, strong coding skills, and solid understanding of human molecular biology and immunology. The student should be familiar with R and ideally at least one other programming language (eg, Python, Perl or Java). Previous participation in research projects is highly desirable, as is some experience in RShiny app development. Experience working in a Linux environment, AWS, and methodologies for reproducible research (e.g., git, markdown) would be an advantage. Students enrolled in Bioinformatics master's/PhD degree programs are strongly encouraged to apply, but students from computer science, data analytics, and related programs will be considered as well.

The student will carry out analyses to generate and verify hypotheses, create presentations with results, write reports, and present their findings to project teams. Computational work will include writing code to process large public (e.g., TCGA) and internal datasets and running analysis pipelines. For example, network and pathway analyses of gene expression or proteomics data, benchmarking new published algorithms and packages, designing novel analysis pipelines, creating classifiers with AI/ML methods, etc. Past projects have focused on sorted-cell RNASeq from Lupus patients, data from various single-cell technologies, text-mining, digital pathology, analysis of immuno-therapy effects on tumor models, and finding rational drug combinations.

While specific projects will depend on the time of joining, a specific project plan will be developed for each student at the beginning of the co-op period. The student will learn how to address specific biological questions using different bioinformatics techniques as well as gain better understanding of drug development for auto-immune diseases and immuno-oncology. The student will also be able to participate in group and departmental meetings and seminars to learn about computational work at a pharmaceutical company and about all stages of drug development.

The co-op program is designed to have candidates carry out impactful and reproducible research and develop interest/passion in different areas of data analytics/bioinformatics and to help improve programming and other skills. Our past alumni have become successful PhD students in top Universities, or bioinformaticians in prominent pharmaceutical companies with the help and training provided as a part of the program.

Please, note that this coop will take place either remotely or on EMD Serono site regardless of the situation with COVID-19.

 

The Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. No employee or applicant for employment will be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, marital status, or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy of Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all policies and programs relating to recruitment and hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Any applicant or employee who believes they have been discriminated against by the Company or anyone acting on behalf of the Company must report any concerns to their Human Resources Business Partner, Legal, or Compliance immediately. The Company will not retaliate against any individual because they made a good faith report of discrimination.

 

*All Co-op's are employed by Randstad and assigned to EMD Serono work locations.