Associate Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics

Merck•South San Francisco, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The SSF Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) group is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to contribute to our Company's biologics, drug conjugates, and novel modality discovery and development pipeline. The Associate Principal Scientist will be primarily discovery team-facing and is expected to be a key contributor to the multi-disciplinary drug discovery effort for various therapeutics (biologic therapeutics, antibody-drug conjugate, peptide, small molecule). Therapeutic areas will include immunology, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and ophthalmology. Key Responsibilities: Project-team representative for biologics or other modality drug discovery and development. Contribute to overall team strategy and lead the formation and execution of team-specific PDMB workflow. Design and execute in vitro and in vivo mechanistic and translational studies to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties of therapeutic proteins, such as drug conjugates and other modalities, to influence drug design, lead selection, and drive PK/PD translations. Be accountable for providing timely and high-quality PDMB data deliverables to teams. Author regulatory documents from FIH through registrational filing. Contribute to departmental scientific initiatives and strategies. Foster a high-performance culture of innovation, collaboration, engagement, self-accountability, and inclusion. Stay abreast of external scientific advancements and contribute to the evaluation and implementation of new technologies and methodologies in DMPK for drug discovery. Position qualifications: Education: Master's (with 8+ years) or Ph.D. (with 3+ years ) in Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biology or related field and relevant experience.

Requirements

Broad knowledge of ADME science and in depth-knowledge in at least one area (e.g. pharmacokinetics, human dose predictions, TPK/PD, etc.).
Has fundamental understanding of drug discovery and/or development of biologic drug candidates.
Has basic experience with Certara Phoenix Software.
Works independently with some technical & strategic guidance from scientific supervisor.
Capable of solving complex problems outside of own area of expertise.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills along with strengths in delivering results in fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated inclination towards recognition in the field, creativity, and innovation via a strong publication/presentation record.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with multiple therapeutic modalities (e.g. small molecules, peptides, etc.) and/or novel modalities.
Prior experience evaluating the biodistribution of biologics in preclinical species.
Knowledge in novel and translatable in vitro cellular models and/or in vivo models.
Hands-on experience with compartmental PKPD modeling.

Responsibilities

Project-team representative for biologics or other modality drug discovery and development. Contribute to overall team strategy and lead the formation and execution of team-specific PDMB workflow.
Design and execute in vitro and in vivo mechanistic and translational studies to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties of therapeutic proteins, such as drug conjugates and other modalities, to influence drug design, lead selection, and drive PK/PD translations. Be accountable for providing timely and high-quality PDMB data deliverables to teams.
Author regulatory documents from FIH through registrational filing.
Contribute to departmental scientific initiatives and strategies.
Foster a high-performance culture of innovation, collaboration, engagement, self-accountability, and inclusion.
Stay abreast of external scientific advancements and contribute to the evaluation and implementation of new technologies and methodologies in DMPK for drug discovery.