Summer Research Intern - Medicinal Chemistry

Septerna is a biotechnology company with a vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused R&D company with a portfolio of life-changing medicines. The company's Native Complex Platform recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular environment to enable new technologies for industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire GPCR target class for the first time. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule drug discovery programs, along with growth potential to reach many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date. Septerna was launched by scientific founders who have made groundbreaking GPCR discoveries and by founding investor Third Rock Ventures. For more information see: www.septerna.com.

 

Join a multidisciplinary team of colleagues focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address significant needs of patients.  Bring your real self to work every day; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals; and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to our mission.  At Septerna we embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background; we share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations; and our employees learn from each other and succeed as a team.  

The Research Intern program provides each student with real-life hands-on experience, coaching and mentoring, networking opportunities, as well as the opportunity to meet people from various schools throughout the country. We plan on hiring maximally 1 Intern Student within Drug Discovery. Each Intern will be assigned to a single function with a specific project for the 3-month Internship term.

       Program start dates are in May or June 2024.

       The internship is to take place in person at our South San Francisco office.

       Ownership of challenging and impactful projects.

       Work alongside exceptional scientists in the field of GPCR drug discovery.

       Participate in weekly project team meetings.

       Build a network of drug hunters.

       Provide a final presentation of project work to senior leaders.

       Authorized to work in the U.S. i.e. (applicants who require employer sponsored visas now or in the future are not eligible to apply)

       Must be at least 18 years old

       Ability to complete 10-12 consecutive weeks between May and September

       Enrolled currently in an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited college/university

       returning to the University/and or College following the internship

       Strict adherence to lab safety rules and regulations

       Pursuing in a degree in chemistry, organic chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or chemical biology having completed at least 4 semesters

       Completion of a full year of organic chemistry coursework

       Prior hands-on research lab experience in organic synthesis is highly desired, and could include, but is not limited to the following:

       Experience with laboratory techniques commonly used in Medicinal Chemistry, such as synthesis, purification, and characterization of organic compounds

       Synthetic route design and troubleshooting

       New reaction methodology development

       Familiarity with analytical techniques for compound characterization (NMR, LCMS, HPLC)

       Familiarity with use of ChemDraw and tools like SciFinder or Reaxys for searching electronic journal databases

       Ability to keep and maintain records and experiments within an electronic lab notebook

       Ability to interpret and analyze experimental data, troubleshoot experiments, and propose solutions to research challenges.

       Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills

       Self-motivated, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively

       Ability to read and digest scientific literature

       Strong organizational, problem solving, analytical and quantitative skills

       Ability to efficiently manage short timelines

Application deadline: March 10th

If selected, the intern is expected to provide evidence of COVID vaccinations (initial series + booster) or ensure full vaccination status is achieved by the start date. The intern will be mandated to adhere to Septerna COVID policies, which may be subject to change in response to changing infection rates/emerging variants. 

$20 - $25 an hour