Electrochemical Reaction Engineering Intern

Job Description

Envision spending your summer working with energetic colleagues and inspirational leaders, all while gaining world-class experience in one of the most dynamic organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a reality for AbbVie Interns.  

The successful candidate will play a key role in the R&D Process Engineering and Process Chemistry functions, specifically as a member of the cross-functional Center for Reaction Engineering.  AbbVie's Center for Reaction Engineering addresses challenging problems with chemical reactions using expertise in chemical kinetics, transport phenomena, mathematical modeling, and reactor design. The strategic research thrust that this internship will be focused on is to investigate electrochemical disulfide reduction as it relates to small molecules and monoclonal antibodies, with the selected candidate assisting in reaction screening, electrochemical cell design, and optimization. The selected candidate will have a strong background in electrochemistry/electrocatalysis and is expected to independently perform reaction screening and optimization experiments with AbbVie’s in-house reactors and electrochemical characterization instrumentation. The candidate must exhibit a collaborative nature in identifying reaction challenges and improvement opportunities, as well as participate in a cross-functional team of Chemists and Chemical Engineers to deliver specific project needs. The candidate will summarize and communicate key findings at the end of the program to the relevant departments through a presentation as well as contribute to an internal or external publication. 

Key responsibilities include: 

• Conduct screening and optimization experiments for electrochemical reaction design 
• Analyze data to determine optimal reaction configuration 
• Investigate reaction transferability and optimal conditions between small molecules and biologics 
• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance. 
• Learns fast, grasps the “essence,” and can change course quickly where indicated 
• Communicate cross-functionally with chemists and chemical engineers to understand and impact key project deliverables 
• Summarize and present findings at end of program

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications  

• Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or other related field 
• Must be enrolled in university for at least one semester following the internship  
• The candidate is required to possess effective oral and written communication skills and be a strong team player. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Expected graduation date between December 2026 – July 2027 
• Strong background in electrochemistry/electrocatalysis 
• Experience with laboratory experiments and electrochemical characterization techniques (EIS, CV, CA, etc.) and/or electrochemical reactor design 
• Exposure to HPLC or other general process analytical tools