About your role

Phase1 is Orion’s paid trainee programme designed for university students, bringing together a large and diverse group of talents from various fields every year. In addition to interesting summer jobs with meaningful projects, the programme offers a variety of events, networking opportunities with other Phase1 Trainees and Orion employees, as well as small group mentoring to support your career! Could this be the first research phase of your Orion career? You can find more information about the Phase1 trainee programme on Orion’s website. 

We are looking for a highly motivated and passionate individual with a background in mammalian cell culture techniques and cell biology or related disciplines to join our Pain Research Unit team in Turku. This is an excellent opportunity to put your technical & analytical skills to work in an industry setting. You do not necessarily need Finnish for this task. The work is scheduled to start in May-June and lasts approximately 3-4 months.

Your key responsibilities

• Plan and perform experiments under supervision of scientists
• Maintain cell cultures and plate and transfect cells in preparation for analysis
• Perform routine tasks in the laboratory
• Perform cell-based, tissue and recombinant protein assays
• Help with new assay set ups if needed
• Perform routine and library screenings if needed
• Work as a part of a collaborative team to support in vitro studies

What we offer

At Orion, you'll get a broad insight into Pain research's field of activity. You'll also get responsibility during the summer as we offer you the opportunity to challenge yourself with interesting and varied tasks. During the summer you will also get a comprehensive overview of Orion's processes, activities and learn about different positions within the corporation.

In addition to your salary package, we offer comprehensive employee benefits such as sports and cultural benefits, and a wide range of health and beauty products in our very own staff shop.

At Orion, your work creates true impact and well-being for our customers, patients and society at large.​ ​Our culture of friendliness, respect, mutual appreciation and diversity creates a safe working environment where you can strive for excellence. We offer a wealth of career paths and development opportunities that support the development of innovative solutions and improving the quality of life.

Please visit our website to find further information about our values and Orion as an employer https://www.orion.fi/en/careers/orion-as-an-employer/.

Our expectations

• Bachelor degree completed and master degree studies ongoing or close to graduation with major in Cell Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry or related disciplines
• Previous experience with mammalian cell culture techniques is a must
• Experience with human IPSC work is a plus
• Technical aptitude with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy
• Proven ability in working independently and in a team
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Basic IT skills
• Willingness to learn new things with positive can-do attitude
• Ability to communicate fluently in English both verbally and in writing.

How to apply and additional information

Please apply as soon as possible, but no later than February 1st, 2026. We might start interviewing candidates during the application time, so please ensure that we have your application as soon as possible!

Our Phase1 trainees will be paid a monthly salary of €2370–2625, depending on the number of completed study credits. In addition, the Phase1 trainees are eligible to various employee benefits offered by the company.

If you would like to know more about the application process and timelines, please visit our website. 
Welcome to build well-being with us next summer 2026!

Approved medical examination which also includes drug testing is required prior to the employment. We will also carry out a security clearance prior to the employment for the selected person.

Unit description

Orion’s pharmaceutical innovations are created within its R&D organization. We employ around 400 top professionals in the field of drug discovery and development. We work globally: in Espoo and Turku in Finland, in Nottingham in England and in New York, NY, USA. Orion R&D and the Innovative Medicines business division are dedicated to making a transformation to become a global player in the pain and oncology therapy areas.

The Pain Research Unit is mainly situated in Turku and consists of In vitro and In vivo scientists and research associates. The goal of the team is to develop more effective, safer and non-addictive medicines that can fill the gaps in existing treatment options. Orion is studying several prospective non-opioid treatments.  Our two main lines of research are affecting pain signals and affecting the immune system. In both cases, the aim is to weaken the pain signal and thus reduce the sensation of pain in the brain.

We are a highly motivated team and work in a modern laboratory facility, equipped with state-of-art laboratory instrumentation. 

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