Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Discovery

Merck • San Diego, CA

19h • $142,400 - $224,100

About The Position

The Associate Principal Scientist will lead translational discovery activities through strong expertise in immune cell biology, human disease models, assay development, and data interpretation. The candidate will use primary immune cell systems, ex vivo patient samples, co-culture models, tissue analyses, and multi-omics datasets to build decision-enabling translational packages.

Requirements

• Strong foundation in immunology, inflammation, autoimmunity, or related immune-mediated disease biology.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and interpret complex biological experiments.
• Hands-on experience with primary cell culture, immune-cell assays, co-culture systems, tissue models, or ex vivo human sample platforms.
• Ability to analyze biological, biochemical, immunological, and translational assay data and design follow-up studies.
• Clear communication of complex science to multidisciplinary audiences.
• Effective collaboration across functions and ability to contribute to multiple projects in a matrixed environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing translational models of inflammatory or autoimmune disease, immune-cell activation, tissue inflammation, or immune-mediated pathology.
• Expertise with flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, imaging, multiplex tissue analysis, spatial biology, transcriptomics, or related platforms.
• Experience integrating human datasets with experimental models to define mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, responder hypotheses, or combination strategies.
• Experience supporting drug discovery from target validation through candidate nomination or early clinical translation.
• Familiarity with immune-mediated diseases such as IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriatic disease, lupus, asthma, or atopic dermatitis.
• Experience leading external collaborations or coordinating CRO work.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, analyze, and interpret translational experiments to validate therapeutic targets in immunology, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
• Develop disease-relevant in vitro, ex vivo, co-culture, and patient-derived tissue models.
• Integrate mechanistic, pharmacology, transcriptomic, spatial, and biomarker data to connect target biology with disease pathophysiology and mechanism of action.
• Generate decision-enabling data packages to support target prioritization, candidate progression, biomarker hypotheses, and patient selection.
• Apply deep immunology expertise to design fit-for-purpose experiments and address key scientific questions.
• Introduce innovative translational models, technologies, and analytical platforms.
• Represent the function on project teams and communicate plans, progress, risks, and recommendations clearly.
• Collaborate with discovery biology, translational medicine, biomarker sciences, data science, pharmacology, clinical development, academia, and CRO partners.
• Mentor junior scientists through scientific guidance, experimental oversight, and data interpretation support.
• Promote scientific rigor, high-quality documentation, inclusion, and a one-team mindset.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree