Computational Protein Structures using MD, AI/ML with HDX-MS Intern

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com

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Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine.

We are searching for the best talent for on Computational Characterization of Protein Structures using MD and AI/ML with HDX-MS Intern to be in Spring House, PA.

• The Intern term is from June to August, 2026.
• Full time requirement (40 hours per week).

Accurate prediction of protein and protein complex structures is essential throughout structure-based drug discovery. Recent AI/ML advances significantly improved prediction accuracy and efficiency, particularly diffusion-based co-folding methods like AlphaFold3, Boltz-2, Chai-2, RoseTTAFold All-Atom, and OpenFold-3, now enable reliable in silico predictions of experimentally validated structures and key binding sites for diverse biomolecular complexes including protein-small molecule, protein-PROTAC/molecular glue ternary complexes, protein-peptide, protein-nucleic acid, and antibody-antigen complexes. These tools generate both static structures and conformational ensembles, facilitating integration with molecular dynamics simulations to capture system dynamics in understanding the mechanism of action (MOA). Despite their promising utility, these predictions still require experimental confirmation (e.g., X-ray or Cryo-EM), which often relegates their application to retrospective studies and limits their impact in early-phase drug discovery.

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is increasingly used to study protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions by measuring the exchange rate of backbone amide hydrogens with deuterium, reflecting flexibility and solvent exposure. HDX-MS offers insights into protein structure and dynamics, complementing high-resolution X-ray data. It is easier and earlier to use than X-ray or Cryo-EM in early drug discovery. Recently, HDX-MS has seen broader application in physics-based simulations, and AI/ML models now reconstruct HDX data and help prioritize protein structure models by matching experimental results to structures.

Co-folding models and HDX-MS are widely used at Johnson & Johnson, driving both large and small molecule modalities. Multiple co-folding platforms have been established, and extensive HDX-MS spectra for various protein targets, along with physics-based computational analysis tools, have been developed. By further integrating AI/ML capabilities and evaluating physics- and ML-based HDX methods for prioritizing co-folding models, structure-based design can be improved before X-ray or Cryo-EM data are available. This approach will accelerate our drug discovery cycle and enhances collaboration with internal and external partners.

The main objective of this project aims to integrate public HDX modeling methods with internal physics-based approaches in the JNJ platform to improve selection of correct bound complex structures, reweight MOA-related conformational ensembles, and identify potential cryptic pockets for allosteric protein-ligand binding. The student will create benchmark datasets of co-folding models, develop Python scripts to automate both public and internal HDX-MS modeling methods, and evaluate them through prioritizing co-folding models in modality-agnostic targets, especially focus on antibodies and antigens. The student is expected to work in a team environment, having direct interaction and good communication with people from different departments within JJIM.

The student will gain experience with physics- and AI/ML-based methods, understand HDX-MS data, and learn how it informs protein structure selection. The enhanced platform will streamline co-folding model prioritization and increase effective use of co-folding models and HDX-MS data in drug discovery projects at JJIM.

• Develop Python scripts to automate the integration of public methods into the JNJ computational platform.
• Perform scientific computations, such as co-folding and molecular dynamics, to generate protein structure models within a Linux environment.
• Carry out statistical and AI/ML data analyses, and evaluate existing HDX modeling approaches for prioritizing structural candidates.

• Completion of Undergraduate Freshman year at an accredited University is required.
• Applicants must be currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, PharmD, or PhD degree at an accredited college or university in Computer Science, or related fields. Continuous enrollment is required throughout the entire internship period.
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, which is reflective of all college coursework.
• Fluent in written and spoken English, great interpersonal, verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Self-motivated, passionate about structure-based drug discovery and computational programming in linux and windows system
• Enthusiastic, collaborative, able to build relationships and work within global matrixed and cross-functional teams
• A foundational knowledge of protein and protein complex structures is essential, along with proficiency in scripting using Python, Shell, and GitHub and PyTorch framework. Experience with HDX-MS, molecular dynamics and AI/ML data analysis is considered advantageous.

• AI/ML, co-folding, molecular dynamics, HDX-MS, Protein Structure, X-ray structure, Cryo-EM structure, structure-based drug design, protein structure, conformational ensemble, protein dynamics.

Permanently authorized to work in the U.S., must not require sponsorship of an employment visa (e.g., H-1B or green card) at the time of application or in the future. Students currently on CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT usually requires future sponsorship for long term employment and do not meet the requirements for this program unless eligible for an alternative long-term status that does not require company sponsorship.

Ineligibility for severance.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers or contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

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