Research Internship on protein structure prediction models
Research Internship on protein structure prediction models
Cambridge
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. AstraZeneca Summer Internships introduce you to the world of ground-breaking drug development, embedding you in highly dedicatedteams,committed to delivering life-changing medicines to patients. Our 10–12-week program is designed for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. We offer exciting opportunities across Research & Development, Operations, and Enabling Units (Corporate functions).
Our internships 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 empoweredtotakeonnewchallenges, but with all the help and guidanceyouneedtosucceed. This internship will help you developessential skills, expand your knowledge, and build a network that will set you up for future success. Youwillbe surrounded by curious,passionate, and open-minded professionals eager to learn and follow the science, fostering your growth in a truly collaborative and globalteam.
Introduction to role
Join us at the Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAI), where wearecommitted to accelerating biomedical research through the innovative use of machine learning. In this role, you will work on improving protein-protein structurepredictiontools targeting antibody–antigen complexes. Specifically, you will investigate techniques from text and image diffusion models and apply them to state-of-the-art structure prediction frameworks to enhance performance for antibodies. The internship offers a unique opportunity to conduct high-impact research at the intersection of AI and drug discovery, focusing on projects that are central to our research and development portfolio.
Accountabilities
As an intern, youwillbe engaged with several key responsibilities, including:
- Engage in discussions and propose ideas to improve the performance of structure prediction models for antibody / antigen complexes.
- Investigate inference-time scaling strategies: Define and implement protocols for antibody–antigen structure prediction to systematically improve docking accuracy without model retraining.
- Integrate verifier-guided sampling: Operationalize fast physical proxies (e.g., clash score, buried surface area, Ramachandran outliers), and explore minimal-relaxation Rosetta scoring to steer sampling and selection.
- Implement MLOpsbestpractices from the outset of the project.
- Collaborate with experienced scientists to benchmark the multi-task learning framework against existing developability predictors.
- Analyze heterogeneous structure datasets (public and internal), and carefully clean and standardize them.
Essential Skills/Experience
The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and experience:
Essential:
- PhD candidate in bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, or a related field.
- Knowledge of deep learning techniques.
- Strong programming skills in Python including Pytorchorequivalent frameworks.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with an interest in antibody design and development.
- Provenability to collaborate in cross-functional teams and communicate scientific concepts effectively.
Desirable:
- Experience with protein structurepredictiontools and / or diffusion models.
This internship is a valuable opportunity to immerseyourselfin the forefront of therapeutic antibody discovery, with access to the necessary computational resources and mentorship from leading experts in the field. If you are ready to transform your technical knowledge into real-world applications, we encourage you to apply and become a part of ourteam driving innovation at AstraZeneca. Ourcollaborativeenvironmentisdesignedtohelpyougrowprofessionallyandpersonally,surroundedbypassionateindividualseagertomakeadifference.
AstraZeneca is where you can immerseyourselfingroundbreaking work with real patient impact.
Trusted to work on important projects, you’ll have the independence totakeonnewchallenges while receiving all the guidanceyouneedtosucceed.Ourcollaborativeenvironmentisdesignedtohelpyougrowprofessionallyandpersonally,surroundedbypassionateindividualseagertomakeadifference.
Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca, starting with the recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics.
We offer reasonableadjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any reasonableadjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.
Ready to make an impact? Apply now and join us on this excitingjourney!
#Earlytalent
Date Posted
30-Jan-2026Closing Date
13-Feb-2026Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, 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.AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.
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