2024 Co-Op, Computational Protein Design

The Role:

The Computational Protein Engineering and Modeling team at Moderna is seeking a co-op in Computational Sciences to support our research and discovery efforts from July-December. You will learn first-hand about mRNA therapeutics and gain valuable experiences of what it’s like to work as a computational scientist in the biotech industry. The Computational Science Co-op Program offers an exciting opportunity to understand the diverse applications of computational science at Moderna covering mRNA sequence design, systems biology, advanced statistics, bioinformatics, lipid nano particles design, protein modeling, and many more.

The Computational Science Co-op program is a 6-month experiential training program for students currently working towards a US-based undergraduate or advanced degree in STEM. Our co-op program will run from July 15th-December 13th 2024. The Co-op must be available full-time for the entire duration of the program. This position is mainly on-site at Cambridge MA, but we may make an exception under special circumstances to make it entirely remote.

Here's What You’ll Be Doing:

• Contribute individually or as a team member with our multi-disciplinary teams in our departments (e.g., molecular biologists, immunologists, chemical biologists, chemical engineers) to accomplish goals and objectives supporting Modern’s research and discovery efforts

• Learn first-hand Moderna’s process to mRNA therapeutic research and discovery through company-wide research seminars, departmental meetings and cross-functional team meetings

• Present your work to team members regularly during the program and at the end to the entire Moderna Research and Early Development organization.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table:

• Self-motivated and ability to drive a project to completion

• Flexibility to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment

• Collaborate with groups across the company in platform projects and multiple therapeutic areas to support research projects.

• Review literature on novel protein engineering methods and applications, and present at internal journal-clubs/meetings.

• Deep scientific and technical expertise in state-of-the-art computational protein modeling and design methods, including stability, solubility, protein-protein interactions, docking, interface design, homology modeling is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated programming experience with Python

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the role of early-stage computational strategies in predicting the risk of late-stage failure of antibody candidates.

• Experience in using structure- and sequence-based methods to filter large libraries of antibody candidates.

• Proficiency in developing code in Python for calculating various biophysical characteristics of proteins.

• Experience with MOE software or similar computational chemistry tools (Rosetta, Schrodinger) is a plus.

• Experience developing new ML/DL models including language models and variational auto encoders is preferred.

• Ability to develop automated workflows for easy access and high throughput usage.

• Interest in staying updated with scientific literature and incorporating publicly available antibody modeling and analysis tools into workflows.

• Ensure that code is version controlled and unit tested.

• Deliver high quality documentation on code architecture, patterns, and code usage tutorials.

• Prior experience in designing and optimizing library of constructs for therapeutic applications to improve protein functions and stability is highly favorable.

• Experience with Docker, code testing, and cloud computing (AWS) is a plus

Moderna is pleased to provide you with an innovative suite of benefits, including:

• Free premium access to meditation and mindfulness classes
• Free parking or subsidized commuter passes
• Generous paid time off, including:
  •    Vacation, sick time and holidays
  •    Volunteer time to participate within your community
  •    Discretionary year-end shutdown
• Location-specific perks and extras!

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world. 

By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.

We are proud to have been recognized as a Science Magazine Top Biopharma Employer, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in the U.S.

If you want to make a difference and join a team that is changing the future of medicine, we invite you to visit modernatx.com/careers to learn more about our current opportunities.

Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free work environment.

Moderna is a place where everyone can grow. If you meet the Basic Qualifications for the role and you would be excited to contribute to our mission every day, please apply!

Moderna is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law. Moderna is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Belonging, Inclusion, and Diversity are critical to the success of our company and our impact on society. We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees and believe that by cultivating diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we can provide an environment where every employee is able to contribute their best.

Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the Talent Acquisition Partner or contact the Accommodations team at leavesandaccommodations@modernatx.com.  (EEO/AAP Employer) 

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