2027 Summer Intern - Translational Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics (tPKPD): QSP Modeling in Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases

Department Summary

This intern position is in the Translational Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics (tPKPD) Department within Development Sciences. The tPKPD department applies preclinical and computational models (in silico, in vitro, or in vivo) to determine the pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the drug) and pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) of therapeutics.

This work informs the selection of lead molecules, the optimization of dosing regimens, and the translation of molecules from research into early clinical development, across oncology, immunology, ophthalmology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases.

Within tPKPD, the Modeling and Simulation group builds mechanistic, quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models that link drug pharmacology to patient outcomes.

This internship position is located in South San Francisco, on-site.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join the Modeling and Simulation group and apply QSP modeling to cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, including obesity, using modern AI-assisted workflows.

The intern will

• Develop, extend, or integrate mechanistic QSP models of CVRM physiology and disease in MATLAB/SimBiology.
• Represent drug pharmacology and its links to physiological and clinical outcomes in these models.
• Calibrate and validate models against published preclinical and clinical data.
• Use simulation, sensitivity analysis and virtual populations to address questions from drug development teams.
• Leverage the latest agentic AI coding tools to accelerate model development, testing and documentation, with rigorous verification of the results.
• Present results to project teams and the department, at the intern poster session, and in a written report.

Program Highlights

• Intensive 12-weeks, full-time (40 hours per week) paid internship.
• Program start dates are in May/June (Summer).
• A stipend, based on location, will be provided to help alleviate costs associated with the internship.
• Ownership of challenging and impactful business-critical projects.
• Work with some of the most talented people in the biotechnology industry.

Who You Are

Required Education

• Must be pursuing a PhD (enrolled student).

Additional information

Required Majors: Bioengineering / Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences / Pharmacometrics, Applied Mathematics, Computational or Systems Biology, AI and machine learning, or related quantitative fields.

Required Skills

• Experience building and analyzing ordinary differential equation (ODE) models of biological or pharmacological systems.
• Proficiency in MATLAB (SimBiology preferred), R, or Python.
• Experience fitting models to data (parameter estimation) and interpreting the results.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Complements our culture and the standards that guide our daily behavior & decisions: Integrity, Courage, and Passion.
• Experience with QSP, PK/PD or physiologically based modeling.
• Knowledge of cardiovascular, renal or metabolic physiology, including obesity.
• Experience with sensitivity analysis, virtual populations, or uncertainty quantification.
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and reproducible code.
• Interest or experience in using AI coding assistants and agentic AI tools in scientific work.

Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting.

Pay and benefits

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $52.00 per hour. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position also qualifies for paid holiday time off benefits.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants.