Merck Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description
Our company's Research Labs San Diego is committed to bringing life changing therapies to patients in need. With a patient-focused approach harnessing cutting-edge precision medicine, it is our mission to transform the landscape of inflammatory and auto immune diseases. Immunology Discovery leads and supports our company's pipeline programs encompassing early target discovery and validation, drug discovery, and translational sciences, including bioinformatics, chemical biology, antibody discovery, and clinical development. These efforts are performed in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams at our company.
Immunology Discovery is currently seeking a motivated, independent, versatile, and detail-oriented Sr. Scientist with a passion for improving patient lives to support internal discovery efforts at our Research Division in San Diego, CA. The Sr. Scientist will work in a matrixed environment with a focus on preclinical IND-enabling studies, and translational studies enabling indication prioritization and rationale for combination therapies. The optimal candidate will possess the ability to work independently and lead cross-functional teams.
Main job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Working with team leaders to develop strategy and drive drug discovery and translational medicine discovery programs forward
• Conceptualize and perform cell-based functional assays (cell lines, primary cells, whole blood) to support target validation, antibody drug screening, mechanism of action studies, biomarker identification in the preclinical and IND-enabling space
• Develop and run cell-based assays to characterize drug target pathway activity or PD biomarkers in primary cells derived from patient samples
• Analyze, critically interpret data and share results to project teams as required
• Collaborate with bioinformatics and translational team members to generate datasets and identify biomarkers supporting translational medicine
• Keep meticulous records of experiments performed and maintain lab notebook entries
• Represent Immunology Discovery in working groups and/or project teams
• Work collaboratively with other scientists in Immunology Discovery in a highly matrixed lab environment

QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:

• PhD in immunology, cell biology, or related biomedical science and relevant academic and/or industry experience
• MS in immunology, cell biology, translational research or related biomedical science and at least five (5) years of relevant industry experience
• BA in immunology, cell biology, translational research or related biomedical science and at least eight (8) years of relevant industry experience

Required Experience and Skills:

• Strong cell culture skills including cell lines and primary cells
• Experience in multi-color flow cytometry to immunophenotype human cells (from blood or tissues), assess immune response or cell signaling pathways
• Experience developing ex-vivo cell-based assays to assess immune responses from human whole blood, PBMCs, and various immune cell subsets
• Experience with immunoassay platforms (e.g., ELISA, Meso Scale Discovery) to measure analytes in serum, plasma, supernatant or cell lysates
• Proficiency in data analysis using Excel, Prism (GraphPad), FlowJo
• Independent self-motivated life scientist who can generate scientific questions and design experiments to address them
• Scientific rigor and curiosity to address scientific questions and design experiments to test working hypotheses
• Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with an eagerness to work with and support colleagues across the organization in a matrixed environment

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience in spectral flow cytometry
• Experience with molecular/ cell biology techniques such as CRISPR, RT-PCR, cell transfection, cell line generation
• Experience in NGS platforms
• Understanding of the drug discovery process with industry experience
• Understanding of immune diseases, including current research and drugs in development
• Experience in developing and running transcriptomics experiments (bulk and single cell RNAseq)
• Background in biomarker discovery and development

#EligibleforERP
Required Skills:
Cell Biology, Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Lines, Cell Signaling, ELISA Techniques, Flow Cytometry, Immunoassays, Immunology, Immunophenotyping, Meso Scale Discovery
Preferred Skills:
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US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
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The salary range for this role is
$117,000.00 - $184,200.00
This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.
The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.
You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.
San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status:
Regular
Relocation:
Domestic/International
VISA Sponsorship:
Yes
Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Not Applicable
Shift:
1st - Day
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
n/a
Job Posting End Date:
07/2/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.