Principal Scientist, Retinal Degeneration

Sanofi•Cambridge, MA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Join the engine of Sanofi’s mission — where deep immunoscience meets bold, AI-powered research. In R&D, you’ll drive breakthroughs that could turn the impossible into possible for millions. Sanofi is seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to drive preclinical drug discovery programs for blinding retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. As a Principal Scientist in the Retinal Degeneration group within Ophthalmology Research, you will use innovative experimental approaches and advanced disease models to validate neuroprotective therapeutic strategies and discover promising drug candidates. The successful candidate will work collaboratively in matrixed, cross-functional teams to generate high-quality and comprehensive data packages to nominate and advance therapeutic candidates toward clinical development. This role presents an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of ophthalmology therapeutics and bring transformative vision-preserving treatments to patients around the world. We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Requirements

Earned Ph.D. or equivalent degree in cell biology, neuroscience, or other relevant scientific discipline, and 5+ years of research experience in biopharmaceutical or academic setting
Demonstrated experience (1 year or more ideally) in drug development at a biopharmaceutical company
Experience evaluating and validating new therapeutic targets required, preferably for retinal or neurodegenerative diseases
Extensive cell culture experience, including work with primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, or 3D in vitro models
Comprehensive experience with a broad range of molecular, cellular, and biochemical methods, assay development, and in vitro disease modeling
Experience preparing high-quality documents including experimental protocols, SOPs, technical reports, and presentations
Track record of significant contributions to research projects and scientific publications
Ability to weigh and integrate information from a broad range of stakeholders with diverse backgrounds
Ability to capture and translate complex data, concepts, and information into clear, well-articulated messages to guide and drive decision-making
Ability to multi-task and adapt to rapidly changing priorities and deadlines
Excellent critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills
Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively in a multidisciplinary team as well as to senior leadership
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build excellent working relationships and mentor cross-functional team members
Resourceful and proactive in managing cross-functional research project plans to achieve objectives and forecast resource requirements
Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, lab notebook practices, and attention to detail

Nice To Haves

Experience in retinal disease and degeneration or neurodegeneration research strongly preferred
Experience using computational approaches (e.g., R, Python) to analyze data strongly preferred
Program leadership experience in an industry setting
Experience authoring regulatory documents to support IND or CTA applications with agencies like the FDA and EMA
Experience managing studies at CROs
Familiarity with wide range of therapeutic modalities including biologics, small molecules, and/or genomic medicines
Experience in high-throughput assay development and using automated screening platforms and robotics
Experience with animal models of retinal disease and degeneration

Responsibilities

Apply scientific expertise and judgement to initiate, design, direct, and execute research studies to translate new targets from discovery to therapeutic disease programs and preclinical development
Work independently, proactively and be an impactful contributor and leader of research projects and pipeline programs in a matrixed team environment to achieve go/no-go decisions
Design, conduct, and direct in vitro mechanism-of-action, proof-of-concept, and biomarker studies to validate targets and evaluate neuroprotective therapeutic strategies
Collaborate cross-functionally to screen preclinical candidates of diverse modalities using target- and disease-relevant functional readouts that inform on pharmacology and efficacy
Actively contribute to interdisciplinary research programs in a highly collaborative manner across internal groups and with external partners
Prepare high-quality analyses, interpretation, documentation, and presentations to support project milestones, publications, patent filings, and regulatory (IND/CTA) filings
Present project data packages at governance meetings
Grow a reputation in the internal and external scientific community through high impact publications, productive scientific collaborations and active participation in conferences

Benefits

Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or a lateral move, at home or internationally.
Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs, and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

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