Associate Principal Scientist, Materials and Biophysical Characterization AR&D Full-time

Associate Principal Scientist

The Materials and Biophysical Characterization group is responsible for physical and biophysical characterization of our Company's development pipeline, inclusive of small molecules, biologics, and vaccines. The team is seeking a highly self-motivated and technically focused scientist with experience in biotherapeutics and materials characterization. As an Associate Principal Scientist, you will be responsible for physical characterization of biotherapeutics with focus on protein higher order structure and particles. You will be working in a collaborative team environment to support our Company's pipeline from discovery through development to commercial launch. You will be leveraging your technical expertise in characterization, partnering with other development scientists to deeply understand our products and processes, participating on cross-functional technical teams and contributing to interdepartmental initiatives. Additional expectations include building a strong network internally and across the external academic and regulatory community. Furthermore, the selected candidate will be expected to contribute to a culture of scientific excellence, develop a compliance mindset, and collaborate with partners and stakeholders across our company's network. The selected individual will have the opportunity to work with a wide array of scientists from our different divisions and make an impact on our Company's pipeline and our patients' lives.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Masters in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline with a minimum of 8 years relevant industrial experience.
• Ph.D. in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline with a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Strong background in biophysical/biochemistry/physical chemistry/material sciences
• Self-motivated with an outstanding scientific track-record.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Track-record of independent problem-solving and application of advanced innovative scientific approaches.
• Desire and willingness to learn, contribute and mentor junior scientists in the group.
• Excellent organizational skills to multi-task and manage multiple projects.

Desired Experience and Skills:

• Experience with biophysical and biochemical techniques for biotherapeutics characterization.
• In-depth understanding of protein science, protein stability, and protein-protein interactions
• Rheological characterization of complex fluids or suspensions
• Experience with solid-state and solution characterization of small and large molecules
• Experience with formulation development and analytical method development.
• Experience with various modalities including mAbs, ADC, cytokine, fusion proteins, gene therapy, engineered cellular therapies

Required Skills:

Accountability, Adaptability, Analytical Method Development, Assay Development, Biological Assay Development, Biomedical Engineering, Cell-Based Assays, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Physics, Chromatographic Techniques, Communication, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Cytokines, External Collaboration, Gene Therapy, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS), Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), Mass Spectrometry Analysis, Materials Characterization, Materials Science, Optimistic Attitude, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Process Analytical Technology (PAT) {+ 4 more}

Salary Range:

$142,400.00 – $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: Domestic/International

VISA Sponsorship: Yes

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: Not Indicated

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): N/A

Job Posting End Date: 03/24/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.