Merck Posted September 8, 2026

2027 Future Talent Program - Quantitative Biosciences Cellular Pharmacology - Intern

South San Francisco, California, United States of America FULL_TIME
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Merck is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Job Description

The Future Talent Program offers internships that last up to 12 weeks and will include one or more projects. These opportunities within our Research & Development Division serve as a platform for significant personal growth, allowing you to gauge whether our company aligns with your long-term objectives.

The Quantitative Biosciences Cellular Pharmacology & Lead Discovery team is looking for a highly talented and motivated student to join our ranks. Collaborating closely with experienced pharmaceutical industry scientists, the chosen candidate will contribute to the discovery and advancement of novel medicines for cancer and cardiometabolic disorders. At the heart of this role lies the execution of critical cellular assays to evaluate and characterize preclinical therapeutic candidates.

The successful candidate will:  

Learn about different cellular assays used in drug development and discovery

Learn about laboratory automation and how they can improve robustness and increase throughput

Execute cellular assays to support compound screening and mechanism of action studies

Engage with industry-standard data analysis tools and record keeping, including electronic lab notebooks and analysis software

Communicate data progress during internal meetings; deliver a verbal presentation at the completion of training; participate in scientific exchange with our Company scientists

We value open communication, creative-thinking, strong teamwork, and rigorous scientific exploration. If you are a highly motivated team player with enthusiasm for learning new techniques who thrives on challenge and has a strong desire to impact drug discovery, we invite you to apply.

Required Education & Experience:  

Candidates must be currently enrolled in a full-time degree program in biology, biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline and have completed at least 2 years of studies toward BS/BA or at least 1 year towards master’s/PhD by June of 2027

Candidates must be available to work full-time for 10-12 weeks beginning in May or June of 2027

Candidates must have experience with aseptic technique and good cell culture practice

Candidates must have previous laboratory experience with cell biology techniques

Candidates must be able to work independently in a multi-functional, team-oriented environment

Preferred Experience & Skills:  

Candidates should demonstrate a keen interest in scientific exploration and drug discovery research

Candidates should possess superior verbal and written communication skills

Candidates should have a demonstrated record of strong academic achievement

Candidates should be self-motivated, and detail-orientated, with excellent record keeping and organizational skills

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 $$39,908 - $111,111.

FTP2027

RL2027

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

San Francisco Residents Only:  We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:  We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

10/9/2026 *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:R412426

Job details

Seniority
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
South San Francisco, California, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 87 comparable Intern/Fellow/Postdoc Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 20 biopharma companies.

87Comparable roles tracked
87Currently active
20Companies hiring similar roles
10Countries represented

Salary context

21 of 87 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · 2027 Future Talent Program – Biophysics Intern – Intern · Merck $39,908/yr – $111,111/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor - Lab Lead – Preclinical Imaging CMR · Lilly $129,000/yr – $211,200/yr
Peer group range $75,510 – $170,100 (median $90,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 87 comparable roles

United States62
Germany5
Canada4
Belgium3
France3
Switzerland3

+ 4 more countries

Seniority mix

87 of 87 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc63
Associate24

Therapeutic area mix

12 of 87 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology5
Neuroscience3
Immunology3
Cardiovascular / CVRM1

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The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.