Intern – Chemistry - Material Science & Characterization

Are you looking for an internship where you are free to take initiative? Would you like to experience working in one of the biggest multinationals in the pharmaceutical industry? We are looking for a 4th year bachelor (HBO) or master student of (physical) chemistry who is searching for a challenging internship in our innovative company.

Your internship project

To assure the continuity of the supply of all raw materials for a protein crystalline drug product, the seed crystals must be replaced by an alternative source. Our drug product manufacturing uses seed crystals to control the crystallization of the API. As an intern, you will work on the optimization of an alternative manufacturing method for the crystalline seeds. You will identify the critical process parameters and corresponding set-points to control the particle size and crystallinity of the protein seed crystals, and prepare the final protein drug product at lab scale to compare the effectiveness of your alternative protein crystal seeds in controlling the crystallization of the final protein crystalline drug product.

The commercial manufacturing process of the drug product is downscaled to 0.7 L using a Mettler Toledo Optimax lab reactor. This reactor set-up is also evaluated as a representative model to simulate the commercial aseptic preparation of the protein drug product.

Your responsibilities

• Perform lab scale experiments to screen for and optimize the critical process parameters for manufacturing alternative protein seed crystals; DOE can be part of the project.
• Prepare the final protein drug product at lab scale to evaluate the effectiveness of your alternative seeds against no seeding and seeding with the current source of protein seed crystals.
• Implement and use an inline microscope to follow the crystallization process.
• Analyze the resulting material using techniques such as laser diffraction, optical microscopy, determination of crystallinity, and other methods.
• Evaluate the results and suggest adjustments.
• Provide a fresh perspective within the department: your opinion matters.

The above-mentioned responsibilities are an indication of what you will be doing after proper onboarding and initial learning and development. This provides you with the opportunity to learn and then perform tasks independently. In consultation with your supervisor, you could take on additional tasks and responsibilities.

Who are you?

• A bachelor (HBO) or master student in (physical) chemistry
• Familiar with crystallization and/or chemical process development
• Enthusiastic about crystallization of APIs and/or proteins in the pharmaceutical industry
• Searching for an internship where you have the freedom to take initiative
• Fluent in English
• Available for a period of 6 – 9 months for 5 days a week

What we offer:

Being an intern at our company means you will work together with a team on healthcare in an international environment. As a student, you will get the opportunity to develop yourself. In addition, we offer:

• The possibility to gain experience within the pharmaceutical industry
• The chance to show your potential
• A challenging and dynamic work environment with lots of space to develop yourself
• Professional guidance by an experienced specialist
• A placement fee of € 500,- gross per month (based on a 40-hour week)

Welcome in our team!

Are you enthusiastic about this internship? Apply today and become a part of our team! We are the Global ATS Material Science and Characterization group within Animal Health, located in Oss, the Netherlands, and mainly focused on physicochemical analytics. For this project, we are collaborating closely with the process technology department. This internship is a great chance to gain experience within the pharmaceutical industry.

Required Skills:

Analytical Problem Solving, Chemical Processes, Chemical Processing, Chemical Synthesis, Clinical Research, Communication, Crystallizations, Crystallography, Data Analytics, Database Management, Data Entry, Data Visualization, Document Management, Health Economics, Management Process, Manufacturing Processes, Microscopies, Microsoft Office, Office Applications, Optical Microscopy, Optimization Algorithm, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Process Improvements, Project Management