Scientist, Pharmacokinetics Full-time NEW

Biologics Drug Discovery Scientist

This position will support our company's biologics drug discovery and development efforts in the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) Group within the Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) organization at our Research & Development Division in South San Francisco.

The successful candidate will be a laboratory-based scientist responsible for generating in vitro and in vivo ADME and pharmacokinetic data to support biologics programs. The role applies strong foundational expertise in protein biochemistry and biophysics to understand how molecular properties influence clearance mechanisms and PK/PD relationships of biologics including antibodies, bi/multi-specifics, peptides, conjugates, and other novel modalities.

We are seeking a flexible, curious, and proactive scientist with strong protein biochemistry/biophysics expertise and a passion for both reliably executing routine, decision-enabling assays and developing and optimizing new assays that support biologics programs across multiple therapeutic areas. In this role, the scientist will have the opportunity to work closely with project teams and partner groups across our network to advance drug discovery efforts. Candidates who are enthusiastic about supporting pipeline needs through high-quality, reproducible assay execution, motivated to investigate mechanistic drivers of protein interactions, and interested in automation and biophysical techniques are especially encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform routine and exploratory biochemistry and biophysics-based assays, including protein biochemistry and biophysical interaction assays, to quantify receptor binding, cellular trafficking and degradation, non-specific binding/clearance and other parameters important for DMPK properties of biologics.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to design, optimize, and execute assays aligned with project needs.
• Generate and analyze data with high attention to detail, and maintain complete and accurate electronic laboratory notebooks.
• Contribute to the implementation of automation solutions and semi-automated workflows to increase throughput and reproducibility.
• Support the development and optimization of protocols and standard operating procedures and maintain and troubleshoot instruments.
• Communicate experimental plans and results clearly via written reports and verbal presentations.

Qualifications

Education

• Master's degree in biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, bioengineering, pharmacology, or a related scientific discipline, or
• Bachelor's degree with 3+ years of relevant laboratory experience

Required Experience and Skills

• Strong background in protein biochemistry/biophysics and hands-on experience applying protein biochemistry and biophysics principles in a biological, pharmacokinetic, or translational context.
• Ability to analyze, troubleshoot, organize, and interpret data, with familiarity using software such as GraphPad Prism, Excel, or similar tools.
• Excellent attention to detail, strong documentation practices, and the ability to work under minimal supervision in a fast-paced research environment.
• Strong interpersonal, problem-solving, and communication skills with a collaborative and growth-oriented mindset.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Strong hands-on experience in cell culture and execution of cell-based functional assays.
• Experience leveraging relevant biochemical/biophysical techniques to characterize proteins (e.g., immunoprecipitation, western blotting, flow cytometry, Mass spectrometry, etc)
• Experience quantifying protein concentrations in biological matrices using certain ligand-binding assays (e.g., ELISA, etc.)
• Experience with biologics DMPK assays, such as receptor binding and kinetics, drug/receptor internalization and cellular trafficking assays to derive kinetic parameters
• Prior experience with Octet/BLI, SPR, or similar biophysical techniques is a plus.
• Familiarity with various ligand binding assay workflows is a plus (ELISA, Gyrolab).
• Exposure to automation, liquid handlers, or high-throughput assay systems

Required Skills: Accountability, Bioanalysis, Biochemistry, Biopharmaceuticals, Biopharmaceutics, Cell-Based Assays, Cell Cultures, Cell Culture Techniques, Clinical Judgment, Collaborative Communications, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Detail-Oriented, Drug Metabolism, Ethical Compliance, Flow Cytometry, GMP Documentation, Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs), GraphPad Prism, Immunoassays, Ligand Binding Assay, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), Machine Learning (ML) {+ 4 more}

Preferred Skills:

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The salary range for this role is $108,000.00 – $170,100.00. 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