Undergraduate Mechanistic Pharmacology Internship

Working with Us
Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.

Position Summary

The Mechanistic Pharmacology team at Bristol Myers Squibb is seeking a highly motivated undergraduate student for a 10-week summer internship. Our group applies deep mechanistic pharmacology to understand drug action and efficacy in support of therapeutic discovery and development. This internship will center on developing and validating a Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) biosensor platform to enable mechanistic studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

As an intern, you will contribute to cutting-edge research that advances drug discovery by generating quantitative insights into GPCR signaling. You will gain hands-on experience in assay design, biosensor optimization, and data analysis while working alongside experienced scientists. This is a unique opportunity to train at the forefront of mechanistic pharmacology; a rapidly evolving area focused on defining molecular mechanisms of drug action to inform the design and development of more effective therapies. Candidates with foundational GPCR knowledge and familiarity with BRET principles are encouraged to apply; curiosity, initiative, and a passion for learning are highly valued.

The full-time internship will take place June - August 2026.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments under supervision to optimize BRET assay conditions and ensure high-quality, reproducible data that support program decisions.

• Refine transient transfection protocols for diverse BRET biosensors, optimizing donor-to-acceptor plasmid ratios, cell systems, and transfection reagents.
• Validate biosensor performance across key pharmacological modes, including agonism, antagonism, allosteric modulation, and biased signaling; establish appropriate controls and assay windows.
• Assist in biosensor and assay design, including selection of effective donor–acceptor pairs and feasibility assessments for readouts.
• Analyze and interpret quantitative pharmacology data (e.g., Emax, EC50, potency/efficacy metrics, and bias parameters)

Qualifications & Experience

• Current undergraduate pursuing a degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated interest in molecular/GPCR pharmacology, cell biology, or drug discovery is preferred.
• Basic laboratory experience required, including sterile technique and mammalian cell culture.
• Familiarity with transient transfection and biochemical/bioluminescence assays (e.g., BRET/FRET) is a plus.
• Comfort with data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, GraphPad Prism) and fundamental quantitative concepts.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and willingness to learn new experimental approaches.
• All candidates must be authorized to work in the US both at the time of hire and for the duration of their employment. Please note that immigration or visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This is a temporary, time-bound position intended for the duration of the internship or co-op program. Employment in this role does not imply or guarantee ongoing or permanent employment with BMS.

The starting hourly compensation for this assignment is within the range of $27.00 to $29.00/hr. Please note that the final individual compensation and any applicable benefits will be determined by your employer of record (and not BMS). Factors influencing this decision may include the characteristics of the assignment, such as demonstrated experience, required skill, and the geographic location of the job. Compensation details are subject to change.

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn’t perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.

The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employee’s work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience. 

Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.

Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans then in effect and may include the following: Medical, pharmacy, dental and vision care. Wellbeing support such as the BMS Living Life Better program and employee assistance programs (EAP). Financial well-being resources and a 401(K). Financial protection benefits such as short- and long-term disability, life insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection and survivor support. Work-life programs include paid national holidays and optional holidays, Global Shutdown Days between Christmas and New Year’s holiday, up to 120 hours of paid vacation, up to two (2) paid days to volunteer, sick time off, and summer hours flexibility. Parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military leave. Family care services such as adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, fertility/infertility benefits, support for traveling mothers, and child, elder and pet care resources. Other perks like tuition reimbursement and a recognition program.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers
With a single vision as inspiring as “Transforming patients’ lives through science™ ”, every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

BMS cares about your well-being and the well-being of our staff, customers, patients, and communities. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that all employees be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 and keep up to date with Covid-19 boosters.

BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

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