What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2026 Future Talent Program – Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences - Co-op position at Merck?
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 Labs Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals
Our Research & Development Division’s Pharmaceutical Sciences & Clinical Supplies organization is responsible for translating a therapeutic agent into a functional drug product optimized for patients. The Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences Department in West Point, PA, Boston, MA, and South San Francisco, CA are seeking students who will work collaboratively in a team environment to help solve key challenges in formulation development and manufacturing of oral, sterile, and specialty (inhaled, implantable) pharmaceutical products including small molecule, peptides biologics and vaccines. The Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences Department is a multidisciplinary research group that provides drug delivery, solid state and solution chemistry tools in Drug Discovery and Early Development.
Potential research projects include, but are not limited to the following:
Locations: West Point, PA; Boston, MA; South San Francisco, CA
Required Education And Experience
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
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.
Requirements
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
U.S. Hybrid Work Model
Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.
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)
Yes
Required Skills
Preferred Skills:
Job Posting End Date
11/3/2025
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 Labs Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals
Our Research & Development Division’s Pharmaceutical Sciences & Clinical Supplies organization is responsible for translating a therapeutic agent into a functional drug product optimized for patients. The Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences Department in West Point, PA, Boston, MA, and South San Francisco, CA are seeking students who will work collaboratively in a team environment to help solve key challenges in formulation development and manufacturing of oral, sterile, and specialty (inhaled, implantable) pharmaceutical products including small molecule, peptides biologics and vaccines. The Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences Department is a multidisciplinary research group that provides drug delivery, solid state and solution chemistry tools in Drug Discovery and Early Development.
Potential research projects include, but are not limited to the following:
- Engineering polymer/API composite particles for injectable formulations
- Characterization and formulation of biologics drugs
- Alternative drug delivery options for peptides
- Design, formulation, and characterization of lipid based delivery systems
Locations: West Point, PA; Boston, MA; South San Francisco, CA
Required Education And Experience
- Candidates must be a currently enrolled undergraduate sophomore, junior, or senior student pursuing a bachelor’s degree OR a currently enrolled graduate student pursuing a master's or Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or Engineering.
- Candidates must be available to work full-time for up to (6) consecutive months beginning in May or June of 2026.
- Candidates must have completed at least (2) years of studies toward bachelor’s degree by June 2026.
- Candidates should have significant interest in Pharmaceutical Sciences & Clinical Supplies
- Candidates should have basic laboratory skills and research experience, such as: electronic notebook recording, HPLC, spectroscopy, analytical techniques, and safe lab practices
- Candidates should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
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
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.
Requirements
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
U.S. Hybrid Work Model
Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.
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)
Yes
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.
Salary : $39,600 - $105,500
