Scientist, Preclinical Pharmacology - Therapeutic Area Expansion

The businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany•Billerica, MA

4h•$90,400 - $135,700•Onsite

About The Position

EMD Serono is hiring a Scientist II, Preclinical Pharmacology in Billerica, Massachusetts. Reporting to the Principal Scientist / Lab Head, this role independently executes in vivo pharmacology studies supporting programs across immunology, neuroscience, and other therapeutic areas. The Scientist contributes to translational PK/PD and biomarker strategies and executes disease-model studies across multiple therapeutic areas with a high degree of technical independence. The position establishes, validates, optimizes, and troubleshoots fit-for-purpose in vivo disease models; evaluates therapeutic efficacy; and generates target-engagement, pharmacodynamic-response, and translational pharmacology data packages. It includes hands-on study execution, surgical and procedural support, assessment of functional, behavioral, and physiological endpoints, CRO partnership management, and support for IACUC, AAALAC, and GLP compliance. The role also performs or supports biomarker assays and integrates PK, biomarker, and pharmacodynamic data under the direction of the Lab Head. The role does not offer work-authorization sponsorship. External applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

Requirements

PhD in Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Immunology, Biology, Physiology, or another life science discipline and 4+ years of hands-on in vivo pharmacology experience; or a master’s degree in one of these fields and 6+ years of experience; or a bachelor’s degree in one of these fields and 8+ years of experience.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in Reproductive Biology, Endocrinology, Pharmacology, Physiology, or Neuroendocrinology.
Demonstrated expertise in disease-model execution, relevant routes of administration, and translational PK/PD.
Experience developing and validating reproductive endocrine models, including superovulation, folliculogenesis, luteinisation, corpus luteum maintenance, and/or testicular steroidogenesis.
Significant experience in a pharmaceutical or biotech R&D environment.
Significant experience with protein-based and molecular biomarker assays, especially Flow Cytometry, and other assay formats such as ELISA, MSD, cytokine/chemokine panels, target-engagement markers, Olink, and NULISA.

Responsibilities

Establish, validate, optimize, and troubleshoot acute and chronic fit-for-purpose in vivo disease models to defined validation milestones and reproducibility criteria.
Build and apply disease models to evaluate efficacy across immunology, neuroscience, fertility, rare diseases, and other therapeutic areas under consideration.
Generate target-engagement, pharmacodynamic-response, and translational in vivo pharmacology data packages for novel therapeutic approaches, delivering study-ready data on schedule and in compliance with protocols and quality standards.
Execute in vivo pharmacology studies, including dosing through IV, SC, IP, PO, ICV, and IT routes; blood and CSF sampling; tissue collection; and necropsy.
Perform and support relevant surgical procedures, including surgical models, ICV/IT administration, stereotaxic injections, surgical recovery monitoring, and clinical scoring, and define procedural and welfare standards.
Conduct and support standardized assessments of functional, behavioral, and physiological endpoints across preclinical disease models.
Manage CRO partnerships and external study execution to extend laboratory capacity and geographic reach and maintain program timelines and scientific standards.
Champion IACUC, AAALAC, and GLP compliance across the in vivo function.
Execute target-engagement marker, flow cytometry, and cytokine/chemokine assays, and support histology/IHC coordination and molecular endpoint integration.
Contribute to translational data packages by integrating PK, biomarker, and pharmacodynamic data under the direction of the Lab Head.