Scientist, Biology-Discovery (On-site)

Merck • Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

5d • $87,300 - $137,400 • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a dedicated and highly motivated scientist to join our Infectious Disease and Vaccines team in Biology-Discovery located in West Point, PA. Our team’s objective is to solve key challenges in developing and progressing vaccine candidates for infectious disease targets. To help us achieve this goal, this individual should possess technical skills in immunoassays, functional antibody assays, bacterial and cell culture, and in vivo mouse work. This role requires not only technical proficiency but also the ability to articulate ideas and collaborate effectively within a dynamic, integrated, multidisciplinary scientific team fostering a healthy work environment.

Requirements

• MS with a minimum of 1 year of related experience, or BS/BA with a minimum of 3 years of related experience, in Microbiology, Bacteriology, Immunology, or a closely related field
• Strong scientific and technical leadership skills
• High adaptability to a continuously evolving research landscape
• Experience working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment
• Experience with immunoassays and functional antibody assays
• Experience with bacterial culture and cell culture
• Hands-on research experience with in vivo mouse models
• Hands-on research experience within a BSL-2 laboratory environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) and graphing software (GraphPad Prism)

Nice To Haves

• Bacterial vaccine research experience
• Experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry
• Experience with ELISA and electrochemiluminescent (ECL) assays
• Experience with functional antibody assays, such as opsonophagocytic killing assays (OPA/OPK) and serum bactericidal assays (SBA)
• Hands-on research experience with mouse vaccine immunogenicity or challenge studies
• Experience with automated liquid handling systems

Responsibilities

• Collaborating effectively in a fast-paced, integrated, multidisciplinary team environment, fostering open communication and collaboration
• Developing, optimizing, and implementing immunoassays for vaccine target antigens, including ELISA and electrochemiluminescent (ECL) assays
• Evaluating preclinical immune sera in functional antibody assays, including opsonophagocytic killing assays (OPA/OPK) and serum bactericidal assays (SBA)
• Contributing to mouse vaccine immunogenicity and challenge studies with bacterial pathogens
• Working hands-on in a BSL-2 laboratory environment while maintaining high standards for safety, documentation, and data integrity
• Preparing technical documents, data summaries, and presentations for internal scientific discussions and in support of regulatory submissions

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: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree