Vertex Summer 2025 Intern, Image Analytics (Boston, MA)

Job Description

The Vertex Internship Program offers students the opportunity to learn about the pharmaceutical industry from a hands-on perspective. You will be working closely with and learning from some of the brightest people in the industry. When you join our internship program you should not be surprised to see that our environment is one that is innovative and team oriented, where collaboration is not just a word, and "we are relentless" is in everything we do. Students can expect to be challenged by their project plan, connect with other interns, and feel valued by the Vertex community. Not only will interns learn about their day-to-day tasks through their specific work assignments, but they will interact and have exposure to our organizational leaders and their teams.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a computational scientist/biologist to join Vertex for an internship experience this summer in the Data and Computational Sciences department. We are looking for exceptional candidates to assist with early-stage research on active drug discovery programs. The candidate will join the Data and Methods – Image Analytics group and focus on analysis of high content imaging data to enable off-target identification and understanding of compound mechanism of action (MoA). The project will include both method development and data analysis aspects. The key tasks for this position will be to explore and
apply novel methods for improving morphological phenotypic characterization of compound target identification in the pursuit of developing cutting edge, transformative therapies.

Key Responsibilities:

• The candidate will be expected to work with their mentor to explore methods, develop and validate analytical workflows and perform relevant data analyses
• In particular the project will be focused on evaluating the Cell Painting assay for in house compound libraries and novel compounds.
• In particular the candidate will have the opportunities to explore and apply methods: For assessing quality of morphogogical phenotypic profiles, to extract deep learning features from cell painting data, to compare the performance of image features, for clustering and comparison of compound phenotypes, off-target or mechanism of action (MoA) analysis of compound libraries
• The candidate is expected to implement experiments and analyses using relevant programming languages and/or software tools
• • Following guidance from their mentor, the candidate must have the ability to work independently and as part of a
• team
• • The candidate must be proactive in engaging the team for support and seeking guidance when needed
• • The candidate will be required to regularly present their progress in formal and informal settings to colleagues
• • The candidate will interface with colleagues in other departments, such as Computational Chemistry and Research, as needed by the project

Depending on the project, the candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to and learn about the development of analytical assays for drug development and screening, and how these assay can inform decision making. Key deliverables could include implementation and evaluation of analytical methods, characterization of compound target hypothesis backed by data and analyses generated by the candidate.
 

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (or in progress) in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field with experience in the development of computational methods for image analytics
• Proficiency in Python
• Experience with image analysis for biological or medical applications
• Experience with software development and version control (Git)
• Proven technical proficiency and demonstrated skill in planning and interpreting analytical work
• Effective communicator (written and verbal), especially within area(s) of expertise
• Experience with machine learning/deep learning methods
• Experience with high-performance computing systems (e.g. bash, command line interface)
• Experience with applying computational methods and/or bioinformatics tools to large-scale imaging data (high content imaging – HCI)
• Experience with visualization of scientific data sets, and/or database design and implementation
• Exposure to statistical methods
• Permanent legal authorization to work in the United States
• Candidate must be enrolled in an advanced degree program if graduating before May 2025
• Candidate must be available to work full-time, 40 hours per week from May - August 2025

This job posting is for a temporary role with a third-party agency partner that provides services to Vertex.  The individual selected for this role will be offered the role as an employee of that third-party agency; compensation, medical benefits, fringe benefits and other terms and conditions of employment shall be presented by the third-party agency upon offer.

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected]