Principal Scientist, Preclinical Development

MSD•South San Francisco, CA

27d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences (DPS) group based in South San Francisco, CA is seeking an Principal Scientist with small molecule and peptide experience. DPS is a multi-disciplinary research group that provides drug delivery, solid state crystal form characterization, pre-formulation and formulation support and small molecule and biologics developability assessments at the development and drug discovery interface. Our team is responsible for the characterization of pre-clinical drug candidates' physicochemical properties. We aim to work with partner groups to select candidates with optimal development properties while balancing all other key therapeutic properties. Our research also covers identification of preclinical formulations for pharmacology and toxicology studies and ideally for FIH across a variety of administration routes and modalities (small molecules, peptides, proteins, oligonucleotides, and biologics). In this exciting role, you will focus on the characterization, early formulation studies and developability assessment and delivery approaches for potential small molecule and peptide drug candidates. Goals include a) compound profiling, b) early formulation screening for stability and performance as well as c) development of prototype and concept formulations/drug delivery which would benefit the molecule given its therapeutic area. Research areas include solubilization of small molecules, permeation enhancement, and modification of drug release. In order to profile these compounds and their delivery routes the candidate must develop physical and chemical methods (XRD, TGA, DSC, DVS, HPLC, HP-SEC, DLS, microscopy, etc.). Innovation in small molecule drug delivery will be critical. The successful candidate will have a strong track record of solving deep technical challenges and understanding of the transition of programs from a discovery setting to development and development experience. You will serve as a team member and execute lab experiments yourself with minimal supervision. You will generate these key data sets and convey their meaning to the teams you work on and develop strategies to optimize molecules and their formulations. Within DPS you will have the opportunity to contribute to departmental scientific initiatives as an individual contributor or as a small team leader. Finally, you will also closely interact with other key functions required for the progression of clinical candidate selection including Safety Assessment, Process Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics. The successful candidate should have a track record of industrial small molecule and peptide development activities as well as a demonstrated track record of problem solving (as evidenced by publication, talks, or patents). Position Qualifications:

Requirements

Extensive experience working in small molecule solid oral dosage form
Proficient in physical-chemical characterization of small molecule and peptide candidates
Experience in drug delivery technologies to overcome challenges in solubility, permeability, drug release profile, etc.
Strong leadership/interpersonal skills and motivation to work in a team environment with cross-functional interactions
Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience in pre-clinical / clinical formulation development and physico-chemical characterization of small molecule and peptides
Additional experience of biologics development or drug delivery