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Protein Design Intern

Syngenta
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About Syngenta 

At Syngenta Seeds Field Crops, we're shaping the future of agriculture and empowering farmers to meet the ever-growing demand for food and fuel. We’re a global Ag Tech powerhouse, headquartered in the United States, with passionate, local experts collaborating with farmers to deliver solutions that create market opportunities.  We unite precision breeding, advanced biotechnology trait choice, and digital platforms for unmatched in-field performance.  Our seeds help mitigate risks such as disease, insect, weed, and extreme weather pressures, all while promoting sustainable farming practices that protect and enhance our planet. Join our mission of revolutionizing food security and transforming agriculture. 

Job Description

At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. We invite you to help shape the future of agriculture and play a role in safely feeding the world while caring for our planet.

Syngenta's Bioinformatics Team is seeking a Protein Design Intern in Durham, NC. This internship role will be part of a high-performance scientific team, developing cutting-edge skills in computational protein design to deliver innovative solutions for agricultural biotechnology.

As part of Syngenta's Emerging Talent Program, you will gain hands-on experience, exposure to day-to-day business operations, and opportunities to apply your academic knowledge to real-world challenges while developing your professional skills.

Accountabilities:

  • Apply structural bioinformatics methods to discover novel proteins.
  • Develop computational workflows that integrate sequence- and structure-based search algorithms to identify and rank protein candidates.
  • Leverage protein structure-based search workflows using tools such as FoldSeek, ESMFold, and Boltz.
  • Perform structural analysis and annotation of protein candidates.
  • Develop Python/Bash scripts for data processing and visualization.
  • Document workflows, create user guides, and present findings to cross-functional teams.
  • Collaborate with other scientists to refine research strategies based on biological insights.
  • Share results and learnings at team meetings and educate team members on workflows and results.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Education:

  • Current MS or PhD student in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Structural Biology, or a related field.

Technical:

  • Proficiency in Python and/or R for bioinformatics (PyRosetta a plus).
  • Basic understanding of protein structure concepts (protein domains, structural alignment).
  • Familiarity with protein structure prediction methods (AlphaFold2, ESMFold, Boltz).
  • Familiarity with protein structure visualization (PyMOL or ChimeraX).
  • Experience with Linux/Unix command-line environments.
  • Knowledge of sequence analysis tools (BLAST, alignment methods).

Analytical:

  • Ability to work with large datasets and implement reproducible computational workflows.
  • Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience with protein structure comparison tools (TM-align, FoldSeek).
  • Experience with protein function prediction tools (InterProScan or ESM-based methods).
  • Knowledge of protein databases (PDB, UniProt, AlphaFoldDB, ESM Metagenomic Atlas).
  • Experience with HPC or cloud computing (e.g., AWS).
  • Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
  • Enthusiasm for learning new computational methods and tools.
  • Experience presenting technical work to multidisciplinary audiences.

Additional information

Salary for this position ranges between $20 - $45 hourly.

What We Offer: 

  • A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. 
  • ⁠Competitive wages
  • Ongoing career development resources
  • The opportunity to work on meaningful, innovative projects that solve problems

Syngenta is committed to creating a culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members 

Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal. Learn more about our team and our mission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVCN_51GbNI 

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.