Internships & Co-Ops

Merck Device Development Co-op Opportunity

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Job Description

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

The Pharmaceutical Sciences & Clinical Supplies (PSCS) organization is a Global R&D division of our company Research Labs (MRL) whose responsible for translating therapeutic agents into a functional drug & combination products that are optimized for patients’ benefit. The mission of the Device Development (DD) group (within PSCS) is to discover, develop and commercialize superior inhaled, nasal and parenteral medical delivery devices supporting vaccines, biologics and small molecules requiring challenging and unique delivery routes.

We are seeking Co-op candidates with strong academic performance, communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to work in a multi- functional environment. The Co-ops will participate in departmental and project team meetings to provide a broad perspective on the drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, the Co-op student will have an opportunity to present their research results in both oral and written formats. During your Co-op appointment you will work closely with & be mentored by an experienced pharmaceutical industry scientist on a research project or projects. We have two (2) Co-op positions for 2024 at our Rahway, NJ site which will focus on (1) Human Factors (HF) Engineering, and (2) device & combination product characterization.

Location: Rahway, NJ

This is a full-time Co-op position.  

Position Qualifications:

Requirements for Human Factors (HF) Co-op:

  • Must be enrolled in a college/institution and pursuing a degree in Human Factors, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Industrial Engineering, Usability Engineering, Biomechanics, Cognitive Science, or equivalent (M.S. and Ph.D. candidates are strongly preferred). 
  • Availability for up to a 6-month internship/co-op rotation at Rahway, NJ 
  • Ability to apply user-centered design, human factors, and risk management principles to product research, development, and design 
  • Proven experience in conducting literature reviews as well as experience in selecting and implementing appropriate human factors/user experience research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, survey design, research study design)  
  • Ability to analyze and synthesize large quantities of information into usable communications, literature reviews and/or presentations 
  • Demonstrated analytical skills and aptitude for quickly picking up advanced domain knowledge 
  • Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, formal presentation) and proven ability to collaborate with and across various multidisciplinary teams within the organization 
  • Knowledge of medical devices, pharmaceutical, healthcare, or similar regulated industry, is a significant plus

Requirements for Device & Combination Product Characterization Co-op:

  • Must be enrolled in a college/institution and pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Design, or equivalent field (M.S. and Ph.D. candidates are strongly preferred).
  • Availability for up to a 6-month Co-op at Rahway, NJ site
  • Solid medical device and/or combination product testing knowledge
  • Fundamental analytical characterization skills, i.e. test method development
  • Ability to work independently in a laboratory setting, including awareness of standard laboratory safety practices
  • Experience with mechanical testing, imaging, and measurement equipment and techniques. Including, but not limited to, tensile/compression testing, surface characterization, x-ray computed tomography, rheometry, and microscopy.
  • Excellent collaboration, ideation, and prototyping skills, including developing proof of concepts, working prototypes and conducting functional testing.
  • Experience with 3D CAD (e.g. Solidworks), geometric tolerancing and stack-up analysis.
  • Fluency in finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). 
  • Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, formal presentation) and proven ability to collaborate with and across various multidisciplinary teams within the organization 
  • Knowledge of medical devices, pharmaceutical, healthcare, or similar regulated industry, is a significant plus