2025 Ophthalmology Discovery Research

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 Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

Ophthalmology Discovery Research Overview

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.

The Ophthalmology Discovery Research Intern within AbbVie’s Discovery Research organization will support target identification and validation studies towards drug development of therapies for eye blinding diseases. This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the growth of Ophthalmology Discovery Research in assay development and multi-omics data generation and integration to advance the understanding of disease pathology.

This position will be based in Irvine, CA, and the intern will have the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment to leverage cutting-edge technology. The intern will support research activities, applying cellular and molecular biology techniques in collaboration with experts in eyecare research. The intern will also contribute to implementation of experiments for discovery and target validation in ophthalmology.

Key responsibilities include:

• Contribute to in vitro assay development involving immune cells and iPSC cultures.
• Plan and execute molecular and biochemical readouts applying innovative approaches for new endpoint development.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data, generate reports, and present findings to project teams.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to facilitate execution on projects within established timelines.

Minimum Qualifications 

• Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a PhD in Biology (Immunology focus preferred).
• Exposure to immunology curriculum.
• Must be enrolled in university for at least one semester following the internship.
• Hands-on experimental experience of 3+ years with a track record of applying molecular biology and biochemistry approaches.
• Experience with in vitro functional assays required.
• Must be able to multitask effectively and be adaptable and flexible to meet changing priorities.
• Motivated team player with a can-do attitude.
• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills to deliver project updates and summaries.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Expected graduation date between December 2025 – June 2026.
• Exposure to cell biology and biochemistry curriculum.
• Experience in ophthalmology or in drug development is an asset.
• Prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry is a plus.
• Experience in transcriptomic and/or proteomic methods and data analysis.

Benefits and Amenities

• Competitive pay.
• Relocation support for eligible students.
• Select wellness benefits and paid holiday / sick time.
• Opportunities to gain experience working in a pharmaceutical industry environment, to enhance professional networks, and to learn about the drug development process.

Equal Employment Opportunity
At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

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

• 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, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.

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