Senior Scientist, DSCS Digital Technologies - Laboratory Automation (Hybrid)

MSD • Rahway, NJ

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join our DSCS Digital Technologies (DDT) organization, within Development Sciences and Clinical Supply (DSCS), located in either Rahway, NJ or West Point, PA. We are a global biopharmaceutical leader with a portfolio of prescription medicines, oncology, vaccines and animal health products. We are driven by our purpose to develop and deliver innovative products that save and improve lives. With 69,000 employees operating in more than 140 countries, we offer state-of-the-art laboratories, plants and offices that are designed to inspire our employees as we learn, develop and grow in our careers. We are proud of our over 125 years of service to humanity and continue to be one of the world’s biggest investors in Research & Development. In the Development Sciences and Clinical Supply (DSCS) organization, we believe digital is the force multiplier that enables faster experiments, smarter decisions, more robust supply chains, and is ultimately redefining how we bring medicines to patients. Within DSCS, the DSCS Digital Technologies (DDT) team is building the next generation of data-rich, connected lab environments—where hardware, software, and AI-driven tools work together to accelerate pharmaceutical development. Our goal is simple but ambitious: embed advanced digital capabilities into the DNA of how we work. We believe this future starts with a strong foundation of laboratory tools: innovative robotics, process analytical technology (PAT), high-throughput technologies, reliable instrumentation, and integrated systems that seamlessly transition data from the physical labs to the digital world. We believe innovation is fueled by teams that come together to build technologies that truly impact how our scientists conduct research. We’re looking for a Senior Scientist to help make this vision real. In this role, the chosen candidate will work with a team of scientists tasked with identifying, developing, and deploying digital and data-rich technologies aimed at improving the manner in which process, product, and analytical understanding is gathered. The tools that we develop are as the team developing them, and in this Senior Scientist role, the chosen candidate will leverage digital technologies to enable chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) activities across our company's small molecule, biologics, and vaccines portfolio. The chosen candidate will leverage digital technologies, hardware integration approaches, and benchtop automation capabilities - focusing on applications within the PAT community - to help advance our scientific research. This includes, but is not limited to, developing custom automation technologies to enable implementation of PAT, delivering solutions for integrating analytical instrumentation and sensors, developing software capabilities across process and product hardware, leveraging state-of-the-art robotics to automate pharmaceutical processes, applying creative data science approaches to enable PAT realization, and inventing innovative data-rich, PAT-focused approaches for pharmaceutical development across modalities and scales. As such, the chosen candidate should have a robust background in analytical technologies, benchtop laboratory automation, and physical and digital integration of PAT tools, with an emphasis on developing creative new solutions to enable the next generation of pharmaceutical processes, product, and methods.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering (i.e., Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical), Physics, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Material Science or a closely-related field (expected graduation by the end of 2026)
• A M.S. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering (i.e., Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical), Physics, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Material Science or a closely-related field with at least 2 years of relevant experience
• A B.S. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering (i.e., Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical), Physics, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Material Science or a closely-related field with at least 4 years of relevant experience
• Highly-motivated and technology-centric scientist that is passionate about modernizing our company's development practices across biologics, vaccines, and small molecule modalities.
• Background and experience in data-rich technologies in a laboratory setting, including process analytical technology (PAT), benchtop automation, analytical instrumentation and hardware integrations, and software enablement
• Demonstrated scientific ability through publications and presentations in scientific conferences.
• Excellent communication skills, demonstrated creativity, and effective interpersonal skills.
• Ability to deliver complex solutions under compressed timelines in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work in a team environment with cross-functional interactions.

Nice To Haves

• Background in leveraging a broad range of laboratory automation tools, including development and application of technologies to integrate systems and hardware
• Expertise in process analytical technology (PAT), including designing and deploying integrated sensors and integrating analytical instrumentation – both physically and digitally – in a manner that directly interfaces with a chemical system being analyzed
• Experience in new technology research, including a demonstrated track record of identifying, developing, and deploying digital and data-rich methodologies.
• Collaborative research efforts that are praised by the broader scientific community and are exemplary of a multidisciplinary group.
• Evidence of cross-functional collaboration in an academic or industrial setting.
• Motivated to learn new skills, willingness to take on new challenges, and scientific curiosity.

Responsibilities

• Design the lab of the future by developing technologies that integrate robotics, analytical instrumentation, and software into cohesive, high-performing solutions
• Deliver world-renowned science by partnering with researchers to understand experimental needs and convert them into scalable digital workflows
• Work at the intersection of multiple disciplines , collaborating with experts in automation, data science, modeling, IT, and the CMC community at large
• Lead high-impact projects from concept through deployment, working across teams and stakeholders to deliver meaningful outcomes
• Continuously improve existing digital technologies and automation platforms to enhance performance, usability, and reliability
• Empower others by providing hands-on partnership, support, troubleshooting, and training to scientists using these technologies

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: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree