2026 U.S Summer Internship Program: Oral Drug Product Development (ODPD)

Role Summary

Summer Internship in Oral Drug Product Development (ODPD) at Takeda. The intern will contribute to development of material sparing tableting process development, focusing on conditioning powder blends before compression in a compaction simulator, conducting experiments, and supporting data collection for machine learning-based parameter prediction. The program is onsite in Cambridge, MA, with potential collaboration across R&D teams.

Responsibilities

• Run experiments on the compaction simulator to manufacture tablets and characterize material properties (e.g., yield pressure, strain rate sensitivity).
• Manufacture tableting mixtures using various mixing and granulation techniques.
• Conduct characterization experiments including bulk and true density, shear cell, hardness, disintegration, dissolution, and particle size distribution.
• Apply process modeling techniques such as discrete element method (DEM) to understand die filling, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for compression cycles.

Qualifications

• Required: Must be pursuing a Master‚Äôs or Doctoral degree in a relevant field; must be authorized to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis without requiring sponsorship; full-time availability for 10‚Äì12 weeks in one of the specified start dates; ability to commit to 40 hours per week during internship; onsite in Cambridge, MA (4+ days/week).
• Required: Foundational knowledge of pharmaceutical product development; familiarity with pharmaceutics, chemical or mechanical engineering, bulk solids, materials characterization, and modeling; ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team; comfortable in a laboratory environment; willingness to wear PPE (safety glasses, gloves, masks, closed-toe shoes).
• Preferred: Knowledge of compaction simulation, material sparing characterization, and process modeling (DEM, FEA).

Skills

• Laboratory skills in tablet formulation and material characterization
• Experience with compaction analysis, yield pressure, and dissolution testing
• Familiarity with DEM/FEA and other process modeling tools
• Team collaboration and communication in cross-functional settings

Education

• Master‚Äôs or Doctoral degree in a relevant field (pharmaceutical science, chemical/mechanical engineering, materials science, or related).

Additional Requirements

• Onsite requirement: 4+ days per week in the Cambridge, MA office.
• Willingness to wear PPE appropriate for powder-laden environments (glasses, gloves, masks, closed-toe shoes).