Senior Scientist, Respiratory Biology (Discovery Research)

MSD • South San Francisco, CA

3d • $131,400 - $206,800

About The Position

The Senior Scientist will join the Respiratory Biology Discovery group and contribute to target identification, target validation, translational biology, and mechanism-of-action studies supporting early discovery programs in chronic lung diseases, including COPD, bronchiectasis, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and inflammatory airway diseases. The successful candidate will leverage human-relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and translational experimental systems, with a particular emphasis on primary airway and alveolar epithelial biology, epithelial-stromal and immune-stromal interactions, tissue remodeling, fibrosis, regeneration, and biomarker discovery. The Senior Scientist will generate high-quality mechanistic datasets that inform target prioritization and program decisions and will collaborate closely within multidisciplinary discovery and translational teams.

Requirements

• Demonstrated expertise in respiratory biology and human primary cell culture systems, including airway and/or alveolar epithelial models
• Experience developing and applying disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo systems such as ALI cultures, organoids, co-culture models, or precision-cut lung slices
• Strong hands-on experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques
• Experience with flow cytometry/FACS, imaging-based approaches (IHC, IF, ICC, confocal microscopy), image analysis, and multiplex biomarker platforms (Meso Scale Discovery, Luminex, Olink, AlphaLISA or equivalent)
• Experience supporting translational biology, target validation, and mechanism-of-action studies
• Ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experimental studies
• Strong scientific communication skills and ability to present findings in cross-functional settings

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience in respiratory drug discovery, fibrosis, tissue remodeling, regenerative biology, or inflammatory lung disease research
• Experience with macrophage, fibroblast, epithelial, or immune-stromal co-culture systems
• Experience working with patient-derived respiratory tissues and primary human lung cells
• Familiarity with transcriptomic datasets including bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq
• Experience with organoid biology, human tissue-based models, or spatial biology approaches
• Knowledge of translational biomarker strategies and human disease-relevant endpoints

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and interpret in vitro and ex vivo studies to support respiratory target discovery, validation and translational biology programs.
• Develop and apply disease‑relevant experimental systems, including primary airway epithelial cultures, air‑liquid interface (ALI) models, organoid systems, precision-cut lung slices (PCLS), and co-culture platforms.
• Generate mechanistic datasets to investigate epithelial dysfunction, tissue remodeling, fibrosis, immune responses, and regenerative biology in chronic lung diseases.
• Apply imaging techniques, including immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and high‑content imaging, with image‑based analysis to interrogate disease-relevant biology.
• Perform and interpret flow cytometry/FACS‑based immune and cell phenotyping.
• Support translational biomarker discovery and validation using patient-derived samples and multiplex biomarker platforms (Meso Scale Discovery, Luminex, Olink, AlphaLISA).
• Integrate cellular, molecular, imaging, and biomarker datasets to inform project decisions and translational strategies.
• Generate reproducible, high-quality data packages and communicate findings through presentations, technical reports, and cross-functional discussions.
• Collaborate closely across biology, pharmacology, DMPK, and translational and clinical teams within a matrixed discovery environment.

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