Senior Scientist, Chemical Biology - Proteomics

at  Merck Sharp Dohme

JOB DESCRIPTION

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and consumer health products, as well as animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company – one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of people like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our global team, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.
We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Scientist to join the Chemical Biology Department under the Discovery Chemistry organization. We look for people who are inspired by our mission and who would fit in well with the collaborative, rigorous and entrepreneurial spirit of the company culture.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Ph.D. in proteomics, chemical biology or a related area; MS with 5+ years of industry experience, or BS with 8+ years of industry experience in above related areas.
• Deep expertise in mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics workflows and associated proteomic data processing/analysis. This includes various labeling techniques (SILAC, TMT, label-free), data acquisition methods (DDA, DIA, PRM) and processing software (MaxQuant, Proteome Discoverer, Spectronaut, DIA-NN).
• Multi-year, hands-on experience with nLC systems and Orbitrap-type mass spectrometers.
• Strong experience with analysis and visualization of “big data” and a sound understanding of statistical concepts.
• Experience in cell culture, biological sample preparation (e.g., tissues, body fluids, secretome, etc.) and genetic manipulation of cells (e.g., siRNA, CRISPR, protein overexpression, etc.)
• Strong publication record.
• Highly self-motivated, with excellent attention to detail and strong organizational and communication (oral and written) skills.
• Creative and independent scientific thinking to solve complex technical and scientific problems. Capable of integrating information generated from multiple sources to shape and strengthen research hypotheses.
• Ability to work independently yet team-oriented and to build strong relationships within highly collaborative, multidisciplinary teams to effectively drive early drug discovery initiatives.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Post-doctoral or industry experience (including internships/co-op).
• Hands-on experience in workflow automation using liquid handling robots (e.g., Hamilton or Agilent systems).
• Deep knowledge in application of biorthogonal chemistry, photochemistry and affinity pull-downs for target identification and validation.
• Proficiency in statistical programming languages such as R or Python.
• Knowledge in design and setup of targeted proteomics assays.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

10%

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work closely with scientists in the Department and with colleagues in Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences and Disease Area Biology to identify and characterize novel targets coming from genetics and disease pathway exploration, explore target engagement, research the mechanism of action of key assets and provide functional validation of novel drug targets.
• Be a key contributor to our Chemical Biology and Chemoproteomics efforts to characterize protein-protein, protein-ligand interactions and proteome-wide drug effects to identify novel target mechanisms, reveal on/off target selectivity, and to elucidate biological target functions from small molecule-based and functional genomics based-phenotypic screens.
• Develop, implement and execute mass spectrometry- based quantitative proteomics experiments with optimal biological sample preparation protocols and LC-MS/MS-based technologies, processing and analyzing data using public and commercial available and/or in-house developed software, and interpreting data.Work collaboratively and communicate effectively and proactively with various project teams across scientific disciplines and functions, bringing together genetics, cellular pharmacology, chemistry and molecular biology to contribute to iterative experimental design and mechanistic hypothesis generation through the interpretation of complex proteomics data.
• Regularly present internal updates and contribute to our company’s publication strategy in high level peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.

EMPLOYEES WORKING IN ROLES THAT THE COMPANY DETERMINES REQUIRE ROUTINE COLLABORATION WITH EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS, SUCH AS CUSTOMER-FACING COMMERCIAL, OR RESEARCH-BASED ROLES, WILL BE EXPECTED TO COMPLY NOT ONLY WITH COMPANY POLICY BUT ALSO WITH POLICIES ESTABLISHED BY SUCH EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS (FOR EXAMPLE, A REQUIREMENT TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19 IN ORDER TO ACCESS A FACILITY OR MEET WITH STAKEHOLDERS). PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT, AS PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19 AND AN ESSENTIAL FUNCTION OF YOUR JOB IS TO CALL ON EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS WHO REQUIRE VACCINATION TO ENTER THEIR PREMISES OR ENGAGE IN FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS, THEN YOUR EMPLOYMENT MAY POSE AN UNDUE BURDEN TO BUSINESS OPERATIONS, IN WHICH CASE YOU MAY NOT BE OFFERED EMPLOYMENT, OR YOUR EMPLOYMENT COULD BE TERMINATED. PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT, WHERE PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE COMPANY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE COVID-19 VACCINATIONS FOR POSITIONS, SUCH AS IN GLOBAL EMPLOYEE HEALTH, WHERE THE COMPANY DETERMINES IN ITS DISCRETION THAT THE NATURE OF THE ROLE PRESENTS AN INCREASED RISK OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION.

Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE