Principal Scientist, Translational Immunology & High-Throughput Precision Biomarkers

MSD • Cambridge, MA

1d • $176,200 - $277,300 • Onsite

About The Position

The Data, A.I. and Genome Sciences Department is seeking a highly motivated and passionate Principal Scientist to join our Genome Science research team. In this role, you will develop and execute large-scale translational immunology studies on human biospecimens in support of companion diagnostic (CDx) development and biomarker discovery. In this role you will apply a range of immunology and genomics approaches at scale, including PBMC isolation, immune-cell activation assays, cytokine profiling, flow cytometry, and single-cell RNA sequencing, to characterize immune cell interactions and identify biomarkers associated with treatment response. The ideal candidate will have experience in biomarker assay development, cytokine profiling, immune-cell characterization, flow cytometry, and preparing human biospecimen samples for multi-omics data generation. Candidates who have demonstrated the ability to design and execute high throughput translational studies with human biospecimens at scale and leveraging automation to enable robust data generation are strongly encouraged to apply. This role supports biomarker discovery within the Discovery Immunology therapeutic area and is based at our company's Research Labs site in Cambridge, MA. As a member of this team, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with and lead cross-functional teams of experimental biologists, data scientists, and Discovery Immunology stakeholders to advance biomarker discovery and translational science.

Requirements

• PhD in Immunology, Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biological engineering or related life sciences discipline with 8+ years of industry or pharma research, academia, or a combination of both
• Strong background in translational immunology, biomarker discovery, and human biospecimen-based research.
• Hands-on experience with PBMC isolation, assay development using primary immune cells, immune-cell activation assays, cytokine profiling, and/or flow cytometry.
• Experience with bulk and/or single-cell transcriptomics, including experimental design and data interpretation.
• Demonstrated expertise in biomarker assay development, optimization, and application in translational studies.
• Proven ability to design, execute, and interpret complex studies that connect mechanistic biology to clinical hypotheses.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and scientific communication skills.
• Ability to lead scientific projects and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• At least 1-2 years' experience of direct people management experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience generating multi-omics datasets to enable biologically meaningful and clinically relevant insights is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead translational immunology studies leveraging human biospecimens to support biomarker discovery and companion diagnostic (CDx) development in Discovery Immunology.
• Design and execute hands-on laboratory experiments for large-scale studies using PBMCs, immune-cell activation assays, cytokine profiling, flow cytometry, and single-cell RNA sequencing.
• Develop and optimize biomarker assays and workflows to characterize immune cell interactions and identify response-associated biomarkers.
• Design and execute experiments for integration of multi-modal data types such as bulk transcriptomics, single-cell transcriptomics, flow cytometry, cytokine assays, and other multi-omics platforms to generate actionable biological insights.
• Partner with experimental biologists, data scientists, and cross-functional Discovery Immunology stakeholders to advance translational hypotheses and biomarker strategies.
• Translate mechanistic biology into clinically relevant hypotheses that inform patient stratification, target engagement, and biomarker-driven decision-making.
• Lead study planning, experimental design, data interpretation, and presentation of findings to internal stakeholders and leadership.
• Ensure scientific rigor, reproducibility, and quality in all biomarker discovery activities.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and analytical approaches to strengthen translational immunology capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with experimental biologists, automation engineers, computational scientists, data analysts, AIML data scientists and therapeutic area subject matter experts to address biological questions, develop experimental strategies, and execute project plans.
• Mentor and guide junior scientists and contribute to the growth of the Genome Science team.
• Contribute to scientific publications, internal reports, and presentation materials as needed.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree