Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization and Nonclinical Safety/Veterinary Sciences Intern

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

Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization (PCO) and Nonclinical Safety/Veterinary Sciences (NCS/VS) at Bristol Myers Squibb are seeking highly motivated undergraduate students interested in a summer internship program that offers scientific research in a team‐orientated and fast‐paced environment. Students will be assigned an exciting project that provides a basis for an industry experience for learning new technologies, developing novel methodology, and/or analyzing literature/data to facilitate the generation of science-driven decisions for specific discovery and development programs. Projects will be offered in both discovery-facing functions and laboratories within PCO and development-facing laboratories and disciplines within NCS/VS.

The internship will include understanding of the hypothesis-driven investigations that enable scientists to present data that supports informed decision-making throughout the drug discovery and development process. This research directly contributes to greater potential success of drug candidates for patients.  These studies can include, but are not limited to: a) understanding toxicity associated with drug target, b) contributing to advancing new approaches to understand toxicity of new drug candidates, c) use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support toxicology and other scientific functions, d) utilization of bioinformatics for “big data”, such as proteomics, e) the determination of how a drug enters, moves through and exits the body (i.e. pharmacokinetics [absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion]), f) bioanalytical methodology development and interpretation, g) determining appropriate drug formulations, technologies, and systems for administering a drug, and h) supporting projects related to animal welfare and laboratory animal medicine.

In addition, students will be mentored in development of critical thinking, risk/benefit assessment, multi‐tasking capabilities, scientific writing and presentation skills, and building collaborative relationships. During the 10‐week internship, students will be immersed in the drug discovery and development process and learn about the broader BMS organization.  In addition, there will be opportunities to meet with numerous cross-functional team members within Research at BMS to explore the various roles and responsibilities that are integrated to develop successful drug discovery pipelines and bring pharmaceuticals through development.

For consideration, please submit application by October 31st, 2025.

Key Responsibilities

• Directly contribute to assigned project with manager support, which is aligned with PCO and NCS/VS responsibilities and student experiences/goals.
• Responsibilities will vary with assigned project, but can include laboratory work, literature/data review, use of AI tools, computer programming and/or computational analyses.
• Active participation in informal networking/mentor meetings and formal symposiums.
• Presentation of overall project and scientific findings at the conclusion of the internship.

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

Qualifications & Experience

• Undergraduate student, enrolled in an academic program for the Fall of 2026, with demonstrated interest and effort within biology, chemistry, toxicology, computational sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, material sciences, biomedical engineering, veterinary science and related disciplines.
• Undergraduate student should have continued interest in pursuing academic endeavors or a career in the sciences after graduation.
• Availability for full-time employment (40 hrs/week) throughout the 10-week internship period of June 1st, 2026 to August 7th, 2026.
• 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 $25.00 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.

Supporting People with Disabilities

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.

Candidate Rights

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/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.