2026 Future Talent Program - Data Science or AI/ML - Co-op

The Future Talent Program features Cooperative (Co-op) education that lasts up to 6 months and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Research and Development Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals.

There are two positions in the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (AI/ML) group. Candidates can apply for the opportunity to be involved in a project designed to enable students to further develop their skills and to evaluate if we are the right company for their long-term goals. We are seeking highly motivated and talented students with computational skills and experience.

Data Science (1 position, On Site in Cambridge MA)

Some potential projects could include:
• Graph-based representational learning for biological inference.
• Construction and characterization of Graph Neural Networks.
• Integration of graph representations with omics-based foundation models.
• Develop methods and techniques to enable harmonization of metadata.

Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (1 position, On Si te in Cambridge MA)

Some potential projects could include:
• Developing methods for improving the trainability and interpretability of foundation models
• Building foundation models capable of better modeling perturbational biology
• Developing multi-modal models to learn representations from multi-omic data
• Exploring approaches for probing trained foundation models for learned biology
• Optimal experimental design to learn predictive models in small data regimes

Required Education and Skills :

• Candidates must be currently enrolled in a minimum of a Bachelor's degree program in Computer Sciences, Statistics, Biostatistics, Biological Engineering, Computational Biology, or a related field of study. Students enrolled in graduate programs (MS or PhD) are highly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates must be available to work full-time for 6 months in 2026.

Preferred Skills and Experience :

• Candidates should have experience with Python, and experience with the analysis of single-cell RNA-seq datasets is beneficial.
• Candidates should have demonstrated communication and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to work well in a collaborative team environment.
• Candidates should have excellent academic achievement and analytical ability.
• Candidates should have experience with modern deep learning tooling including PyTorch and / or JAX and GPUs.
• Candidates should have eExperience with multi-GPU model training.
• Candidates should have experience with cloud computing, AWS, and command line terminal.

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

Under New York City, Colorado State, Washington State, and California State law, the Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate's relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected salary range: $39,600.00-$105,500.00

FTP2026

RL2026

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Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:
Not Applicable

Shift:
1st - Day

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:
11/3/2025
*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: R364605