Job Title: 2027 Spring Co-op CMC Synthetics Platform Process and Pharmaceutical Engineering Scientist

• Grade: Co-op
• Location: Cambridge, MA
• Duration: 6 months

About the Job

As a co-op in Pharmaceutical Engineering team of the CMC Synthetics Platform, you will contribute to advancing our understanding of how material properties at the particle and crystal scale influence downstream manufacturability and drug product performance. This position offers a unique opportunity to work across material science, process engineering, and computational modeling in support of next-generation pharmaceutical development.

This role will focus on bridging fundamental particles and crystal properties with process-scale behavior in tablet manufacturing. The successful candidate will work on projects spanning single crystal property prediction, powder compaction simulation, and experimental analysis of tablet mechanical failure using digital image correlation (DIC). Through this work, you will help build mechanistic understanding and predictive tools that improve formulation robustness and manufacturability.

We believe that integrating material science, simulation, and material sparing experimental techniques is critical to the future of pharmaceutical process development. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work at that interface-applying engineering fundamentals and material science tools to solve real development challenges, generate new scientific insight, and help advance more efficient and predictive approaches to oral solid dosage manufacturing.

Main Responsibilities:

• Predict and analysis of single crystal material properties relevant to pharmaceutical development, including mechanical behavior, elastic properties, and anisotropy. Assist in evaluating how crystal structure and morphology influence downstream processing and manufacturability
• Design and execute experimental studies to characterize tablet mechanical performance, including diametral compression and dynamic breakage testing. Use digital image correlation (DIC) and related imaging tools to quantify strain localization, crack initiation, and failure mechanisms.
• Integrate experimental and modeling results to improve mechanistic understanding of material-process-performance relationships. Collaborate with scientists and engineers to translate findings into predictive frameworks that support formulation and process design.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a Master's or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related technical field.
• Must be permanently authorized to work in the U.S. and not require sponsorship of an employment visa (e.g., H-1B or green card) at the time of application or in the future. Students currently on CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT usually require future sponsorship for long term employment and do not meet the requirements for this program unless eligible for an alternative long-term status that does not require company sponsorship.
• Must be enrolled in an accredited college or university throughout the duration of the co-op/internship.
• Must be able to relocate to the office location and work 40hrs/week, Monday-Friday, for the full duration of the co-op/internship.
• Strong interest in material science, solid mechanics, and pharmaceutical process engineering.
• Familiarity with data analysis and scientific programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, or similar).
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Autonomy and interest in lab experiments.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Excellent communication skills to interact with scientists and engineers.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exposure to solid-state chemistry, crystal structure analysis, powder mechanics, or pharmaceutical unit operations.
• Familiarity with molecular and solid-state modeling tools such as Mercury, Materials Studio, or related crystallographic / molecular simulation software.
• Experience with computational modeling tools (e.g., finite element methods, Abaqus, COMSOL, or similar).
• Familiarity with experimental mechanics or imaging methods such as digital image correlation.
• Experience analyzing scientific data and presenting technical results.

Why Choose Us

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future focused team.
• Stretch your skills through apprenticeships, internships, graduate programs, and international experiences that grow with you.
• Learn from inspiring mentors and collaborative teams while contributing to real projects that shape the future of healthcare.
• Build your future with access to the latest tools, digital innovation, and continuous learning that keep you ahead of the curve.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $45-$57 hourly. All compensation will be determined commensurate with demonstrated experience.

#LI-Onsite

#vhd

Pursue progress, discover extraordinary

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn't happen without people - people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let's be those people.