What are some companies that develop and/or research pharmaceuticals?

Hi Alice,

To quickly answer you question I know that Rutgers has a compiled list of pharma companies, they have varied positions for students in business to chemistry majors. Take a few hours to research these companies and write a cement cover letter to reflect your strengths with what they are looking for.

https://pharmafellows.rutgers.edu/our-program/partner-companies/

Not all companies listed in the website have what you are looking for, but don't get discouraged. They are also highly coveted and competitive!

Hope this helps!

Hi Alice! Chemical Engineering allows you to pursue a wide range of job opportunities, and you must be very smart to be earning the degree. I'm a little confused that you mentioned that you have identified companies that, "work with materials," but none that, "work with pharmaceuticals?"

I'll assume that you mean that the pharma companies don't necessarily do their own chemical engineering for industrial manufacturing their products. This is true for pharma, as well as a number of products commonly referred to in the chemical industry as, "Life Science Products:" insecticides, herbicides, micro-biocides, algaecides, .....well, you get the idea.

Typically these are very complex molecules produced with multistage synthesis that may be done at different chemical manufacturing sites. They are often produced in smaller, very specialized, batch reactors under a commercial agreement called, "toll manufacturing." BASF, DowDuPont, Arkema, Solvey, and most large chemical companies have this capability, but there are also some firms that specialize in only toll manufacturing.

Now, your Question's Title reveals your true interest: Developing pharma products, then you'll need to pursue a Ph D., and your job prospects will be directly related to your research papers, not your internships. Also, I would expect you would benefit from a PhD in Biochemistry rather than Chem E.