Lab Assistant (Intern), Laboratory Operations

Catalent, Inc. is a leading global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), with the San Diego facility focusing on early-stage development of small molecule and peptide drug candidates from the bench to the clinic. This site offers services supporting oral and injectable dosage forms, including preformulation testing, formulation and analytical development, cGMP manufacturing, clinical packaging, labeling, and worldwide distribution. The San Diego location specializes in Catalent Spray Drying technologies with downstream roller compaction capabilities for challenging compounds.

This part-time, paid, year-round student internship provides a fun and stimulating environment to gain lab experience and exposure to pharmaceutical chemistry development. Lab Assistants will learn about formulation development of drug products, including tableting, solutions, suspensions, encapsulation, and spray drying, as well as analytical chemistry techniques such as pH measurement, density, powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, microscopy, and dissolution testing.

UC San Diego students hired for this role may enroll in the UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences Co-Op Program, which offers professional development and science communication training for academic credit. Learn more about the Co-Op Program.

Schedule

• Part-time (15-20 hours per week)
• Monday–Friday between 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM
• 100% on-site (San Diego)

Responsibilities

• Support collection and organization of laboratory glassware prior to cleaning
• Prepare solutions for laboratory glassware cleaning
• Participate in laboratory glassware cleaning
• Restock laboratory glassware
• Ensure storage and work areas are clean
• Learn and comply with all GMP practices in use at Catalent
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Must currently be a part-time or full-time college student working to obtain an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a Scientific Field (Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry preferred)
• Experience in a laboratory preferred
• Ability to conduct routine tasks with attention to detail
• Availability to work 15-20 hours per week on-site during the hours of 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday–Friday (no exceptions)
• Housing assistance and/or relocation are not available for this role

Physical Requirements

On an average day, this position requires the ability to:

• Walk, sit, and stand
• Use hands to handle or feel, reach with hands and arms at or above shoulder height and below waist height
• Climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl
• Talk and hear, smell
• Lift up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision requirements including reading written documents, visual inspection of materials, and use of a computer monitor screen frequently

Pay

The annual starting pay for this position in San Diego, CA is $20/hour. The final salary offered may vary based on factors such as experience, industry background, skillset, education, and business needs.

Benefits

• Awesome employee activities: Movie Day, Monthly Birthday Celebrations, Friday Bagel Breakfast, On-site Fitness Center, Sponsored Sports Teams, and other company-sponsored events
• Environmentally friendly green initiatives, including on-site practices and Beach Clean-up activities
• Employee Resource Groups focusing on Diversity and Inclusion
• Competitive hourly rate with hands-on lab experience to enhance your resume
• Positive and fast-paced work environment with a focus on process improvement and innovation