Scientific Associate Director, Induced Proximity Biology

Merck•Billerica, MA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

EMD Serono is seeking a scientific leader to help lead laboratory research and shape strategy for target identification, validation, and in vitro assay development in cancer biology, with emphasis on chemical biology and induced proximity. The role combines expert hands-on laboratory research with technical strategy ownership, mentorship of junior scientists, and cross-functional leadership across project teams. The position is part of the Oncology Research Unit and works with the Drug Discovery Technology organization and other company experts. It reports to the Head of Target Discovery and Research. This is an onsite position in Billerica, Massachusetts, with approximately 10% domestic and international travel. The role does not offer work-authorization sponsorship; external applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

Requirements

PhD in Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemical Biology, or a related field.
7–10+ years of industry experience focused on innovation in cancer research.
Evidence of a high degree of laboratory productivity.
High-level expertise in functional genomics, cell biology, target identification and validation, and data analysis.
Evidence of organizational impact in prior roles through applying innovation and novel approaches to important scientific problems.
Demonstrated ability to lead a project through both hands-on and cross-functional contributions.

Nice To Haves

Prior or current expertise in induced proximity, ideally in a company setting.
Track record of mentoring productive junior scientists with a sense of urgency.
Basic knowledge of applications of artificial intelligence to drug discovery.
Ability to direct overall project strategy at an expert level.
Outstanding critical-thinking, presentation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

Drive strategy, design, and execution of experiments to nominate new targets and approaches for induced proximity, chemical biology, and functional genomics discovery research in Oncology.
Serve as a hands-on expert and own novel approaches to engineering cellular and other model systems to validate and prosecute new targets and chemical modalities.
Drive technical strategy in the Research Unit by developing creative solutions to complex biological problems and promoting innovative methods that expand discovery capabilities.
Mentor and work alongside junior scientists to develop high-quality datasets that inform program decisions.
Serve as an expert partner across multiple Research Unit project teams and with external stakeholders.
Contribute to organizational impact through the evolution of a pipeline of induced-proximity-focused assets.