Senior Scientist, In Vivo Cardiometabolic Diseases

Merck•South San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Cardiometabolic Disease (CMD) department at our Company’s Research Laboratories located in South San Francisco is seeking a highly innovative and rigorous Senior Scientist with a proven track record in renal and cardiovascular disease biology. The successful candidate will lead hypothesis-driven research projects from mechanistic pathway discovery and target identification to experimental design and advanced data analysis, driving the discovery pipeline for cardiovascular and renal disorders. This role requires deep expertise in developing and characterizing in vivo animal models, integrating multi-omics approaches, and designing in vitro systems to interrogate disease mechanisms. The candidate will collaborate across cross-functional teams, mentor junior scientists, and manage complex non-clinical studies, contributing to our Company’s mission of advancing novel therapeutic targets.

Requirements

Extensive hands-on experience in developing and characterizing in vivo rodent models for renal (e.g. DKD, ADPKD, FSGS) and cardiovascular disease (e.g. heart failure, ASCVD), including survival surgeries (e.g., osmotic mini-pump implantation), cardiovascular phenotyping (echocardiography, hemodynamic assessments), renal phenotyping (glomerular filtration rate measurements, assess serum and urinary biomarkers), and/or metabolic cage measurements
Experience in designing, executing, and interpreting in vitro and ex vivo experiments
Strong record of impactful publications, oral and poster presentations at international conferences, and recognition for research excellence
Proven ability to be a team player, lead collaborative cross-functional projects, and manage complex non-clinical studies
Advanced skills in scientific communication, data analysis (e.g. RStudio, GraphPad Prism, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis), statistical methods, and electronic lab documentation
Strategic and independent thinker with a drive to innovate and initiate, own and efficiently advance projects through the discovery pipeline. Proven ability to understand disease mechanisms and solve complex problems by undertaking innovative approaches and applying state-of-the art technologies
Bachelor's (with 7 years), Master's (with 4 years) or Ph.D. (with 1 year) in Biology, Physiology or a related discipline and relevant experience in academic or industrial settings

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in iPSC-based assays and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing
Demonstrated expertise in multi-omics approaches (single-cell RNA-seq, tissue/plasma proteomics) and data integration for target identification and validation

Responsibilities

Independently initiate and lead discovery projects to uncover and validate therapeutic targets for cardio-renal diseases
Establish and characterize renal, cardiovascular, and metabolic animal models, utilizing functional in vivo endpoints, tissue/plasma genomics/proteomics/transcriptomics/metabolomics, and in vitro cell-based and biochemical assays
Develop and optimize in vitro systems and cell-based functional assays for mechanism-of-action studies and compound profiling and screening
Integrate omics data (including single-cell transcriptomics from patient-derived tissues) to inform target selection strategies
Leverage imaging strategies (e.g., confocal fluorescence microscopy or intravital multiphoton microscopy) to investigate quantitative disease endpoints
Spearhead collaborative projects across multidisciplinary teams and co-manage partnerships with external academic and industry collaborators
Present impactful findings at internal and external meetings and contribute to scientific publications and technical reports
Diligently document research activities using electronic lab notebooks; take on shared lab-based responsibilities