Position Summary & Responsibilities:

The Functional Genomics Group within the preclinical Research department at Alkermes is seeking a skilled and motivated candidate for an internship (8 – 12 weeks) to assist with our CNS drug discovery efforts. The candidate will work to understand drug induced gene expression in rodent models using state- of-the-art genomic techniques, including spatial transcriptomics and/or single cell RNA-sequencing. The goal of this lab-based internship project will be to establish and validate transcriptomic assays that will support our preclinical research efforts, while giving the candidate exposure to the drug discovery process and experience with cutting edge genomic tools. 

Responsibilities

In conjunction with internal scientists, the candidate will be responsible for executing transcriptomic assays on ex vivo tissue, analyzing data, and preparing and presenting results. The ideal candidate for this role is a masters or early Ph.D. student with substantial lab experience and an interest in transcriptomic readouts and desire to enter a career in drug discovery. This internship will also offer the opportunity for multidisciplinary interactions with other preclinical biology research groups such as neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.

Qualifications

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum education and experience requirements:

• Undergraduate degree (B.S. or equivalent) in biology, neuroscience, or a related field
• Experience in a biological research laboratory setting
• Background in neuroscience, molecular biology, or a related field

Technical skills

• Comfortable with basic molecular biology bench skills
• Familiarity with transcriptomic assays such as qPCR or RNA-seq
• An interest in CNS-focused drug discovery

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Personal skills

• Ability to work well with others both within the team and cross functionally, including effective communication with other team members and managers.
• Attention to detail, presentation and oral/written communications skills which will be applied to presentations, reports, and documentation of work.
• Motivation to learn and apply new techniques, including researching scientific literature and applying appropriate analysis frameworks to data.

One or more of the following would be desirable:

• Experience with data analysis in R or Python
• Experience working with complex biological data sets such as RNA-seq
• Experience with histology
• Coursework or lab experience in neuroscience
• Understanding of basic statistics, especially as applied to high dimensional biological data sets

About Us

Why join Team Alkermes?

Alkermes applies its deep neuroscience expertise to develop medicines designed to help people living with complex and difficult-to-treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. A fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Ireland with U.S. locations in Massachusetts and Ohio, we are committed to pursuing great science, driven by deep compassion to make a real impact in the lives of patients. Alkermes has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products for the treatment of alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of clinical and preclinical candidates in development for various neurological disorders, including narcolepsy.

Beyond our important mission of developing medicines to address unmet patient needs, we actively seek to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout our business. We strive to ensure that all voices are respected and valued, recognizing that our diversity of thought, background and perspective makes us stronger. We are proud to have been recognized as an employer of choice by many national organizations, including being certified as a Great Place to Work in the U.S. in 2024, honored as a Healthiest Employer in both Ohio and Massachusetts in 2023, a Best Place for Working Parents in 2023, and to have received the Bell Seal at the Platinum level for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America for three consecutive years (2021-2023). 

Alkermes, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any qualified applicant or employee because of race, creed, color, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, disability, genetic information, veteran status, military status, application for military service or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.  Alkermes also complies with all work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA.  Alkermes is an E-Verify employer.