Associate Scientist, Post Doc Fellow- Quantitative Biosciences Early Discovery

MSD • Rahway, NJ

2d • $82,000 - $92,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will join the Department of Quantitative Biosciences Early Discovery at the company’s Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey. The fellowship is part of an industrial postdoctoral program intended to support high-impact research in a collaborative environment with access to scientific resources, technologies, and expertise.

The fellow will develop drug discovery methodologies in chemically induced proximity, including molecular glues, heterobifunctional degraders/PROTACs, and other proximity-inducing modalities. The work will use biophysical, biochemical, structural, and computational platforms to study complex ternary systems and translate mechanistic insights into drug discovery approaches. Fellows are supported in publishing research in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at international conferences, and developing expertise in industrial early-stage drug discovery.

Requirements

• Must currently hold a Ph.D. or receive a Ph.D. no later than spring 2027.
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Pharmacology, Structural Biology, or a related discipline.
• Hands-on expertise characterizing protein–ligand and protein–protein interactions using quantitative biophysical methods such as SPR, ITC, MST, BLI, or fluorescence-based assays such as TR-FRET or FP.
• Experience designing recombinant protein constructs, using expression systems, and performing chromatographic purification.
• Working knowledge and practical experience in biological NMR spectroscopy, including resonance assignment, chemical shift perturbation, or ligand-observed experiments, and/or structural biology techniques.
• Ability to analyze, visualize, and interpret high-resolution protein structures, binding interfaces, and ligand-binding modes using molecular modeling software such as PyMOL, MOE, Schrödinger Maestro, or ChimeraX.
• Scientific productivity and independent thinking demonstrated by first-author publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific conferences.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, and ability to work effectively in a collaborative, team-oriented research setting.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with isotopic labeling for NMR or structural applications.
• Experience with ternary complex systems, targeted protein degradation (TPD), molecular glues, or early hit-finding platforms such as FBDD, HTS, or DEL.
• Hands-on or collaborative experience with high-resolution structural determination techniques, including X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, or multidimensional BioNMR.
• Familiarity with AI/ML structure prediction tools such as AlphaFold2/3, AlphaFold-Multimer, RoseTTAFold, Boltz, or Chai for modeling multiprotein complexes and protein–ligand interactions.
• Proficiency in Python or R for data analysis and exposure to physics-based modeling methods such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, or virtual screening.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and execute methods to investigate and exploit chemically induced proximity under the mentorship of senior scientific leaders.
• Stay current with emerging scientific literature and identify potential therapeutic opportunities.
• Use quantitative biochemical, biophysical, and structural approaches to investigate macromolecular complexes, ternary complex formation, and protein–small molecule interactions.
• Formulate and drive an independent research agenda from hypothesis generation through mechanistic validation.
• Work with multidisciplinary teams across discovery chemistry, biology, and pharmacology.
• Partner with the Modeling & Informatics team to integrate computational workflows with experimental investigations, curate structural constraints, evaluate predictive protein–ligand and protein-complex models, and prioritize testable hypotheses.
• Present findings at internal scientific symposia and international conferences, and lead-author publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Benefits

• Annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
• Medical, dental, and vision healthcare and other insurance benefits for employees 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: Ph.D. or professional degree