2026 Future Talent Program - Analytical Research & Development – Co-Op

Job Description

The Future Talent Program features Cooperative (Co-op) education that lasts up to 6 months and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Research Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has codified its legacy for over a century. Our company’s success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

Our company is on a quest for cures and is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Today, we’re doubling down on this goal. Our Research & Development Division is a true scientific research facility of tomorrow and will take our company’s leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule, vaccines, and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that radically changes the way we approach serious diseases.

Our Research & Development Division's Analytical Research and Development department in Rahway, NJ, West Point, PA, Boston, MA, and South San Francisco, CA are seeking co-ops who will work collaboratively in a team environment at our state-of-the-art laboratories to develop novel analytical methodologies that impact drug substance and drug product development. Day-to-day research for the co-op will focus on solving key challenges in product and process characterization.

The co-ops will be exposed to:

• Core instrumentation critical for modern analysis of small molecules, biologics and/or vaccines, for manufacturing process characterization, and for determination of drug substance and/ or drug product chemical, physical, and biological attributes.
• Fundamentals of analytical, physical, and biological chemistry method development necessary to solve problems as a member of an integrated team in support of the small and large molecule pipeline at our company.
• The Analytical Research & Development Department will expose the co-op to various expert groups in the areas of screening and high-throughput analysis, molecular and materials characterization, structural elucidation including high end mass spectrometry and NMR techniques, separation-based techniques, assays for interrogating critical attributes of drug products, immunoassays, cell-based assays, labeled-compound analyses, trace metals analyses, and advanced statistical and data analytics/ machine learning processes, further broadening their experience.

The co-ops in Analytical R&D will also participate in departmental and project team meetings to provide a broad perspective on the drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry. The co-ops will be responsible for accurate electronic notebook recording of experimental details and for analysis and interpretation of data that may be used for internal or external scientific publications which may follow from the co-op. Co-ops will have the opportunity to gain further knowledge and skill sets via refinement of laboratory skills, introduction to new analytical techniques, exposure to current challenges in analytical research, and perspective on the practical aspects of drug development. In addition, the co-op student will have an opportunity to present their research results in both oral and written formats.

We are seeking co-op candidates at all academic levels (undergraduate and graduate) with strong academic performance, communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to work in a multi-functional environment.

Locations

Rahway, NJ; West Point, PA; Boston, MA; South San Francisco, CA

This is a full-time 4-6 month co-op position.

Education Requirements

• Candidates must be a currently enrolled student pursuing a Bachelor's, Master’s, or PhD degree in Chemistry, Biology (e.g. Cell Biology, Virology), Biochemistry, Chemical/Biological Engineering, Materials Science, Pharmaceutical Science, or a related discipline.

Required Experience And Skills

• Candidates must be available to work full-time for 4-6 months beginning in early to mid-2026.
• Candidates must have completed at least (2) years of study toward a bachelor's degree by June 2026.

Preferred Experience And Skills

• Candidates should have significant interest in analytical sciences for small molecules, vaccines, and/or biologics.
• Candidates should have basic laboratory skills and research experience, such as: lab notebook recording, use of analytical instrumentation, analysis and interpretation of data, and safe lab practices.
• Candidates should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Your role at our company is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement. Using the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world.

Please note that this position may be closed before the posted end date or may remain open longer, at the discretion of the company.

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $39,600.00-$105,500.00 USD

FTP2026

RL2026

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status

Intern/Co-op (Fixed Term)

Relocation

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship

No

Travel Requirements

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements

Not Applicable

Shift

1st - Day

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

possibly

Required Skills

Preferred Skills

Job Posting End Date

11/3/2025

• A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:

R365019