What are the responsibilities and job description for the Summer-Fall 2026 Co-Op - Process Chemistry position at Sanofi?
Job Title: Summer-Fall 2026 Co-Op - Process Chemistry
Location: Cambridge, MA
About the Job
Are you ready to shape the future of medicine? The race is on to speed up drug discovery and development to find answers for patients and their families. Your skills could be critical in helping our teams accelerate progress.
We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We’re also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. Ready to get started?
Position Overview:
The Process Chemistry team, part of Sanofi's CMC Synthetics organization, is responsible for putting in place the synthetic route, optimization and process design for the commercial manufacturing processes for drug substances undergoing clinical development. Our team strongly believes that innovation is an important driver to reach success. We focus a large part of our activity on developing new synthetic routes, new concepts, and technologies to provide drug substances in a more efficient, more affordable, environmentally benign and intrinsically safe way.
We are seeking an undergraduate or graduate chemistry major to execute route scouting and process development for drug substances undergoing clinical development for approximately 6 months; the successful candidate will further develop synthetic organic chemistry skills in the lab, develop analytical and instrument techniques, learn process chemistry, and gain further understanding of the drug development process by participating in an industrial process chemistry group.
Main Responsibilities:
Contribute to the design and optimization of novel and efficient synthetic pathways for drug substances undergoing clinical development to demonstrate synthetic viability
Use all imaginable chemistry tools and methods to develop and optimize commercial process for selected drug substance route (photochemistry, biocatalysis, flow chemistry, electrochemistry, on-line analysis/PAT, high-throughput experimentation, structural analysis, computational chemistry, AI/ML and predictive tools, etc.)
Design, plan and execute experimental plans to optimize reaction, purification and isolation unit operations, guided by technical risk assessments, to deliver safe, efficient, robust and scalable drug substance manufacturing processes that perform reliably at intended scale in batch or continuous format
Learn to apply green chemistry principles to our R&D programs to develop sustainable manufacturing routes
Develop/apply analytical techniques for structural characterization and interpretation (NMR and LCMS)
Perform data analysis such as interpreting experimental results and designing next steps in collaboration with multiple mentors
Maintain electronic laboratory notebooks according to SOP, provide detailed experimental procedures of laboratory work
Communicate and interact with other staff/team members in a professional and courteous manner
Operate in the lab in a safe and efficient manner according to HSE guidelines and adhere to all mandatory company compliance requirements
About You
Basic Qualifications:
Currently enrolled and pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry at an accredited college or university
Must be enrolled in school the semester following your internship/co-op with Sanofi
Must be able to relocate to the office location and work 40 h/week, Monday-Friday for the full duration of the co-op/internship
Must be permanently authorized to work in the U.S. and not require sponsorship of an employment visa (e.g., H-1B or green card) at the time of application or in the future. Students currently on CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT usually require future sponsorship for long term employment and do not meet the requirements for this program unless eligible for an alternative long-term status that does not require company sponsorship
Preferred Qualifications:
Chemistry coursework and lab coursework completed
Experience in the use of various analytical instruments (e.g., NMR, LCMS) to interpret analytical data and fully characterize novel organic compounds
Why Choose Us?
Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.
Exposure to cutting-edge technologies and research methodologies.
Networking opportunities within Sanofi and the broader biotech community.
The salary range for this position is $45-$57 hourly. All compensation will be determined commensurate with demonstrated experience. Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs. Additional benefits information can be found through LINK.
Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.
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Salary : $45 - $57