Principal Scientist Full-time

Principal Scientist

Are you ready to redefine obesity and diabetes treatment and shape the future of therapeutics? If you're a driven scientist who thrives where biology, pharmacology, and translation meet, this is your stage! Join a world-class research team within LEAD Pharmacology and help advance innovative medicines within Obesity and Diabetes at Novo Nordisk – transforming the lives of millions living with obesity and diabetes.

We are looking for a Principal Scientist to join the LEAD Pharmacology department, focusing exclusively on Novo Nordisk must win Obesity and Type 2 diabetes portfolio. You are an expert in in vivo pharmacology, and a strong background in obesity, Type 2 diabetes, incretins, amylin and drug discovery would be a clear advantage. You will provide scientific leadership across discovery programs, from target validation through candidate selection, and serve as a key driver of pharmacology and translational strategy.

In addition, you will:

• Lead scientific excellence in obesity and diabetes research to advance target discovery, innovation, and project progression.
• Design and conduct pivotal in vivo experiments to assess pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, safety signals, and mechanism-of-action by applying state-of-the-art tools.
• Develop, optimize, and implement new disease-relevant models and methods to evaluate biological activity of new targets and modalities.
• Develop study protocols; analyze and interpret data; ensure rigorous documentation; report findings; excellent in project management and clearly communicate results to project teams, governance boards, and Global Research leadership.
• Collaborate closely within a matrix environment—partnering with internal teams, external CROs, scientific advisors, and academic centers of excellence—to deliver high-quality, decision-enabling data.
• Mentor, coach, and develop junior scientists; foster a culture of scientific rigor, innovation, and accountability.

Your Skills and Qualifications:

• PhD in pharmacology, physiology, endocrinology, metabolism or related field, with significant experience; preferably 5-10 years in pharma/biotech R&D.
• Experience in rodent obesity and Type 2 diabetes pharmacology, including hands-on study design and execution to assess body weight, food intake, energy expenditure, and body composition; familiarity with translational endpoints and model limitations is a strong plus.
• Experience advancing drug candidates in obesity or related cardiometabolic indications into development, with strong publication record and evidence of impactful decision-making is advantageous.
• Experience of working with different therapeutic modalities and with combination strategies targeting complementary pathways will be a clear advantage.
• Experience leveraging data to guide decisions, working with digital tools, and collaborating with bioinformatics teams.
• Excellent collaboration, team player spirit, clear communication, and problem-solving skills; fluent in written and spoken English.

Your New Department:

The department is embedded in the Obesity and Diabetes Research area within Global Research, Novo Nordisk A/S. The department supports Pharmacology leadership to Obesity and Diabetes drug discovery. In close partnership with rest of therapeutic area, we translate cutting-edge biology into therapeutic strategies for people living with serious chronic metabolic diseases. We build, validate, and apply robust in vivo models across rodent's species and run integrated PK/PD and mechanism-of-action studies to de-risk and differentiate new drug candidates. Execution is scaled through a blend of in-house technical and scientific expertise and high-quality external CRO collaborations to deliver fast, rigorous, and decision-ready data. We strive for excellence and continuously evolve our capabilities to stay ahead—both as a company and as individuals.

Working at Novo Nordisk:

At Novo Nordisk, we don't wait for change. We drive it. We're a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We embrace the spirit of experimentation, striving for excellence without fixating on perfection. We never shy away from opportunities to develop, we seize them. From research and development, through to manufacturing, marketing and sales – we're all working to move the needle on patient care.

Contact:

For further information, please contact Shashank Gupta, Director, LEAD Pharmacology, Global Research, Novo Nordisk. Contact email: FSGP@novonordisk.com Deadline: 6th March

Please note that applications will be reviewed continuously, thus the advertisement may close prior to the indicated deadline. You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few lines about your motivation in your resume or CV. To ensure an efficient and fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo in your CV.