USP Summer Internship Program

The USP Summer Internship Program offers students of chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and related science disciplines the fulfilling opportunity to spend 12 weeks at USP working on a defined project that expands and enhances USP's core strategic initiatives focusing on the following areas

  • Quality of Manufactured Medicines—(Project 1) Assist in developing and validating monograph procedures in USP’s Applied Research and Development Laboratory. Duties include performing laboratory testing using FTIR, NIR, or Raman instrumentation to analyze the quality of pharmaceutical excipients. The data collected for these excipients would serve as a basis for the development of a general information chapter on excipient identification and adulteration/contamination detection. This project would help USP in developing their own data for the most frequently used excipients in common medicines. This project is a part of the USP long term goal of collecting data on all of the inactive ingredients on the FDA IID list currently used in US approved marketed products.
  • Quality of Food Ingredients and Dietary Supplements—(Project 2) Assist in the toxicological assessment of impurities present in medicines. Duties include research into the utility of toxicity alerts using quantitative structural activity relationship (QSAR) models. Impurities associated with high volume, high health impact medicines would be targeted for QSAR screening. Impurities listed in USP monographs are potentially genotoxic and information developed from this project could help to direct high risks compounds to be developed into reference standards.
  • Reference Standard Testing—Participate in the analytical testing of candidate reference materials in the Reference Standards Laboratory (RSL). Work closely with RSL scientists to perform analytical tests using USP monograph test methods, critically review obtained results and participate in the preparation of analytical reports. Test procedures may include some or all of the following: Loss on Drying, Karl Fischer Titration, Chromatography, UV and Infrared Spectroscopy, and chromatographic techniques. This project would help USP in releasing new lots of USP reference standards which will be used in pharmaceutical testing in the USA and abroad.
  • Small Molecules—Compare USP monographs against the FDA database in order to identify discontinued products. Assist with monograph modernization and Over-the-Counter drug lists. Familiarity with Excel useful.
  • Biologics and Biotechnology—Participate in on-going research and development projects. These projects are focused on Method Development and Verification for Monographs and General Chapters and the evaluation of candidate bulk materials for potential use as Reference Standards. The perspective student will be required to have experience in performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays (RT-PCR, Q-PCR), pipetting skills and to work in an organized manner. The student should have experience in following SOPs and other laboratory documents as well as maintaining laboratory notebooks. The student will work closely with the scientific staff of the laboratory, participation in lab meetings and willingness to discuss their project and data. The student is also expected to give a brief presentation at the end of the summer of their projects and findings.

In addition to working on a defined project, participants have the opportunity to meet with USP staff in various divisions to gain an understanding of the scope and importance of USP programs and services. Interns may attend USP Expert Committee meetings held at USP during the internship, and have the opportunity to visit professional associations and federal government agencies in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Eligibility

Undergraduate sophomores, juniors, or seniors and graduate students majoring in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, or pharmacy are eligible. In addition, graduate students in pharmaceutical sciences are also eligible. You must have completed basic chemistry courses, including quantitative chemical analysis. International students must possess the appropriate visa.

General Requirements

Applicants must exhibit

  • self-motivation and independent work habits
  • excellent oral and written communication skills
  • computer competence
  • the ability to apply their education and experience

Objectives

The program provides interns with the opportunity to

  • enhance appreciation and understanding of USP's activities in standards-setting, core compendial activities, and global public health
  • advance scientific and/or practice knowledge
  • contribute to USP's research and standards knowledge base in a tangible way

Duration and Pay

Internships are 12 weeks, beginning May 21, 2012, and concluding August 10, 2012. The work week is 37.5 hours. Participants will receive an hourly rate for each hour worked. Interns are responsible for travel, housing, and living expenses. USP is within walking distance of the Washington, DC, metro subway system, making commuting convenient from most locations in the area.

Application Procedures and Deadline

If you are interested, please submit the following: 1) resume, 2) transcript, 3) letter of recommendation, and 4) essay (no more than 300 words) describing your interest and aspirations in the pharmaceutical, food, and dietary supplements laboratory sciences to Michele Harper (contact information below). Applications must be mailed or emailed and received no later than March 2, 2012. USP will contact applicants quickly following the deadline to schedule interviews.

Application Deadline

March 2, 2012
Submit Applications and Questions to:
The United States Pharmacopeial Convention
Attn: Michele Harper
Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
12601 Twinbrook Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
MIH@usp.org