2026 Drug Metabolism and Disposition Imaging Intern (PhD)

Learn more about AbbVie
AbbVie

AbbVie

2026 Drug Metabolism and Disposition Imaging Intern (PhD)

North Chicago, IL
Internship
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Company Description

    AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

    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.

    This internship involves developing new protocols and experimental workflows in the drug metabolism and disposition department of AbbVie. You will get the chance to:

    • Evaluate the impact of in-source decay and fragmentation on MALDI mass spectrometry imaging platforms.

    • Optimize and test novel instrumentation and workflows in mass spectrometry imaging.

    • Develop assays to enable localization of antibody drug conjugates in tissue.

    • Implement iPRM-PASEF workflows to build a tissue ion atlas for zebra fish and/or any other organs of interest in toxicity studies.

    • Combine MS imaging and LC-MS workflows to identify and quantify endogenous and therapeutic molecules of interest on the same or serial sections.

    Key responsibilities include:

    • Prepare samples for MS imaging including cryosectioning, matrix application by spraying or sublimation.

    • Acquiring MS data on Bruker timsTOF fleX, Agilent QqQ with MassTech AP/MALDI-UHR, and Waters DESI TQ-Absolute mass spectrometers.

    • Responsible for basic data acquisition, processing, and report writing.

    • Present results and key findings to supervisor, department, and at internal poster session.

    Qualifications

    Minimum Qualifications

    • Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a PhD in chemistry, biochemistry or other related field.

    • Must be enrolled in university for at least one semester following the internship.

    • Strong written and verbal communication skills.

    • Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills.

    Preferred Qualifications

    • Expected graduation date between December 2026 – June 2027.

    • Experience with mass spectrometry instrumentation from multiple vendors.

    • Knowledge of fresh frozen sample preparation techniques.

    • Working experience with small molecule structural elucidation.

    Additional Information

    Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​

    Benefits and Amenities:​

    • Competitive pay​

    • Relocation support for eligible students​

    • Select wellness benefits and paid holiday / sick time ​

    • The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​

    Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

    AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

    US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

    US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

    https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

  • Industry
    Pharmaceuticals
  • About Us

    AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.