Senior Scientist, Biologics Design and Display, Discovery Biologics Full-time

Senior Scientist, Biologics Design and Display, Discovery Biologics

We are on a quest for cures and are committed to be the world's premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Our teams combine leading drug discovery capabilities and world-class R&D with the purpose of turning breakthrough science into life-changing medicines.

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Biologics Design and Display team within the Boston Discovery Biologics group. The successful candidate will be an integral member of the team responsible for the discovery and design of biologic therapeutic candidates. They will conduct in vitro display campaigns to discover and optimize therapeutic candidates, generate and analyze NGS-based datasets to support hit and lead selection and engineering, and will leverage AI/ML-based computational tools to develop predictive models that support the antibody optimization efforts.

The candidate will stay current with scientific advances and continuously drive innovation in display technologies to consistently deliver high-quality early biologics in support of drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas. As part of project teams, they will collaborate across functions to solve complex problems in disease biology and drug discovery. There are opportunities to attend scientific conferences, contribute to publications, train and mentor junior staff and interns, and help shape group strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Design and execute in vitro display campaigns for hit discovery and lead optimization to support the discovery and development of therapeutic candidates
• Generate and leverage experimental and NGS data from display campaigns to develop machine learning models that enhance predictive performance and accelerate biologics lead optimization and engineering
• Support display workflows, including data analysis, structure analysis, library designs, and sequence nomination by utilizing AI/ML and other computational tools
• Stay current with external scientific and technological advancements and continuously drive innovation of display platform capabilities
• Collaborate across multiple functional areas to advance therapeutic candidates
• Effectively communicate experimental results in project and team meetings

Qualifications & Experience

• PhD in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Computational Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology or related STEM discipline with 0-3 years, MS with >3 years, or BS with >6 years of post-grad industry or academic experience
• Expertise in antibody discovery and optimization using in vitro display technologies
• Expertise applying AI/ML or computational structure analysis tools in antibody discovery and optimization
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Required Skills:

• Hands on expertise in at least one molecular display technology (phage, yeast, or mammalian)
• Knowledge of NGS technology including NGS data generation and analysis
• Demonstrated ability to build and utilize computational tools for therapeutic discovery and optimization
• Familiarity with lead optimization strategies and display library design methodologies
• Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary collaborative team environment

Preferred Skills:

• Hands on expertise with lead optimization, including designing, building, and screening of lead optimization libraries
• Experience in using computational structural analysis tools
• Experience in using laboratory automation platforms for high throughput workflows

The salary range for this role is $119,100.00 – $187,500.00. 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 (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.