Associate Scientist, Vaccines Formulations (Onsite)

MSD

79d • $70,500 - $110,900

About The Position

Vaccine Drug Product Development (VDPD), a part of our company's Research Laboratories, is seeking an Associate Scientist to join our department in West Point, PA. Our mission is to develop novel vaccine drug products that will profoundly improve global human health—directly building from our company's 50+ year legacy as pioneers in the discovery, development, and manufacturing of novel vaccines to eliminate disease. Our department is responsible for developing vaccine adjuvant systems and complex drug products from preclinical studies through Phase III clinical trials with line of sight to commercialization. We ensure robust composition, primary packaging, and process development through deep fundamental understanding and characterization such that the process is scalable without compromising safety, efficacy, or stability. During development, we leverage smart experimental design, cutting edge analytical tools, and statistical/predictive approaches to inform formulation and process development. Our team enables the translation of vaccine preclinical candidates from concepts into robust commercial drug products.

Requirements

• B.S. in Chemical/Biochemical/Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Immunology, Materials Science, or related field — or equivalent laboratory experience.
• Hands-on laboratory experience (academic or industry) with basic sterile technique, buffer preparation, and sample handling.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; experience documenting experiments in electronic or paper lab notebooks.
• Basic data analysis skills (Excel; ability to summarize and visualize experimental results).
• Team-oriented, motivated to learn, and able to manage multiple priorities under technical supervision.
• Comfortable working in a face-paced environment and adapting to change.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with biophysical/biochemical analytical methods (e.g., DLS, HPLC, SDS-PAGE, UV/Vis).
• Understanding of aseptic/formulation processes in a non-GMP or GMP environment.
• Familiarity with statistical/design-of-experiments tools (JMP, Minitab) or numerical software (Matlab).

Responsibilities

• Design and perform hypothesis-driven formulation and process development experiments for sterile vaccine drug products (buffers, stabilizers, antigen/adjuvant, vials, syringes) across multiple vaccine modalities (subunit, conjugate, live-attenuated, etc.).
• Prepare formulations and fill vials/syringes for characterization & animal studies using aseptic technique and Good Laboratory Practices; support transfer to GMP manufacturing.
• Conduct stability and forced-degradation studies; analyze data, summarize findings, and author technical reports and electronic notebook entries.
• Operate and troubleshoot benchtop unit operations (mixing, filtration, pumping, lyophilization), common lab instruments (pH, scales, pipettes), and analytical tools (DLS, SLS, KF, DSC, DSF).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (discovery, analytical, manufacturing, regulatory) to meet project timelines and deliverables.
• Continuously learn and apply current literature, methods, and technologies to improve formulations and processes.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees