2026 Future Talent Program - Bioinformatics Intern

Job Description

The Future Talent Program features internships that last up to 12 weeks and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Global Support Functions Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals.

We are seeking a highly motivated intern to join the Bioinformatics Team in Data Science & Scientific Informatics at our company. The intern will evaluate, develop, and optimize computational methods to analyze next-generation sequencing datasets in support of our company's drug discovery and development programs, and will produce bioinformatics pipelines that can be operated on high-performance computing clusters and in the cloud. The intern will collaborate with biologists and data analysts in one or more diverse therapeutic areas in our Research Laboratories, such as:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases & Vaccines
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacokinetics

Applicants should indicate in their cover letters which of these therapeutic areas are preferable. This will be an opportunity to apply cutting edge data science techniques to emerging fields with exciting and impactful applications in drug discovery and development. The applicant should be able to work full-time for 10-12 weeks in the summer of 2026.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Applicants should pursuing a master's degree or doctorate in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field. Exceptional undergraduate candidates who can demonstrate strong technical capabilities are also encouraged to apply.
• Experience analyzing next-generation sequencing datasets, such as WGS, WES, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and single-cell applications
• Experience with a pipeline scripting language such as Nextflow
• Experience evaluating methods for common bioinformatics applications, such as alignment, assembly, variant detection, genome enrichment, and phylogenetics
• Familiarity with common bioinformatics file formats (FASTA, FASTQ, BAM, VCF, etc.)
• Proficiency in programming languages (e.g., Python, R, C++) in a Unix/Linux environment
• Experience with high-performance Linux clusters and cloud computing
• Experience leveraging online resources (software manuals, GitHub, Stack Overflow) to troubleshoot
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

Preferred Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Experience in applying and optimizing machine learning tools

Please note that this position may be closed before the posted end date or may remain open longer, at the discretion of the company.

Salary range:
The salary range for this role is $39,600.00-$105,500.00 USD

FTP2026

GSF2026

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:
Intern/Co-op (Fixed Term)

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
03/9/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R384289