Data Science Internship - Drug Discovery and Development

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. AstraZeneca has long been an advocate of student work placement training. These placements immerse students in the pharmaceutical industry, allowing the opportunity to contribute to our diverse pipeline of medicines whether in the lab or outside of it. You will feel trusted and empowered to take on new challenges, but with all the help and guidance you need to succeed. At AstraZeneca, you will engage in meaningful work within a pioneering research and development organization. This placement will help you develop essential skills, expand your knowledge, and build a network that will set you up for future success. You will be surrounded by curious, passionate, and open-minded professionals eager to learn and follow the science, fostering your growth in a truly collaborative and global team.

Introduction to role

Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) plays a range of critical roles across drug discovery and development, shaping candidate drug profiles, guiding medicinal chemistry, and predicting human clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD). At AstraZeneca, the DMPK function includes a world-renowned modelling and simulation team that support projects through the timely exploration of internal and external dataset and models. The successful applicant for this internship would work closely with DMPK colleagues, creating data science tools to radically increase the pace and scale of specific modelling tasks and help bring medicines to patients faster.

Accountabilities

• Work with DMPK colleagues to collate and curate appropriate datasets and models relevant to data science tool creation

• Produce data analysis tools that allow exploration of published or in-house dataset/models

• Communicate internship/project updates to DMPK colleagues as required

Essential Skills/Experience

Essential:

• Degree (completed or in progress) in Data Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Pharmacokinetics, or a related field

• Proficiency in programming languages (e.g., Python or R) and experience in data analysis and visualization

• Solid understanding of statistical methods and their application in data analysis

• Experience with data cleaning, transformation, and exploratory data analysis

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and effectively communicate complex concepts to non-specialist audiences

Desirable:

• Experience with machine learning models and techniques as applied to pharmacokinetic/dynamic data

• Understanding of pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism principles to facilitate model interpretation

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and resolve issues in model evaluation

AstraZeneca is where you can immerse yourself in ground-breaking work with real patient impact. Trusted to work on important projects, you’ll have the independence to take on new challenges while receiving all the guidance you need to succeed. Our collaborative environment is designed to help you grow professionally and personally, surrounded by passionate individuals eager to make a difference.

Additional Information:

Applications are now open until 4th March 2025. Start date 29/08/2025 and you can expect to hear back from us by the end of March 2025.

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

Ready to make an impact? Apply now and join us on this exciting journey!