Sr. Scientist, Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery - Biomarker Mechanisms

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Scientist– Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery

Location: Boston, MA (On-Site)

Our Company’s Neuroscience Therapeutic area is seeking a Senior Scientist (R3) to join our Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery Team. The Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery group at our company's Research Labs (Boston) is accountable for designing and executing biomarker strategies across Our company's Neuroscience portfolio, spanning from early preclinical discovery to early-stage clinical trials.

The group’s mission is to bridge target disease biology, advanced mechanistic modeling, and computational analysis to formulate novel biomarker panels. Ultimately, this group generates the data packages and clinical biomarker strategies required to drive crucial pipeline Go/No-Go governance decisions and patient stratification for Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s) and Pain programs.

In this unique role, you will leverage your expertise and understanding of the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and human iPSC and/or preclinical models and employ targeted or omics-based methods to decipher biological mechanisms that link the change in biomarkers to the drug and target mechanism of action. Ultimately, these data packages will enable prioritization of biomarker panels and help interpret clinical datasets.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design and execute targeted perturbation studies using human in vitro systems and (e.g., hiPSC-derived neurons, astrocytes, microglia or complex organoids) collaborate on in vivo preclinical models to map the causal biological cascade from target engagement to downstream biomarker responses.

• Employ advanced multi-omics approaches (Especially Proteomics, Metabolomics and single-cell RNA sequencing) combined with pharmacological interventions to establish clear, mechanistic links between disease states, drug action, and measurable biomarker modulation from a temporal and spatial perspective.

• Generate robust mechanistic data packages that provide confidence in target biology. Use these insights to directly inform and prioritize candidate fluid and imaging biomarker panels for translation into early-stage clinical trials.

• Establish and adopt novel disease models that allow for the interrogation of target biology and downstream biomarker responses in CNS tissues and biofluids.

• Thrive in an agile, highly collaborative environment, partnering closely with bench biologists, disease experts, AI/ML scientists, and clinical colleagues.

• Deliver excellent written and oral presentations to clearly communicate complex findings and strategically aligned recommendations to key stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s in molecular biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Immunology, Neurology, Genetics/Genomics, or related STEM fields with minimum 6 years of relevant industry experience OR PhD in molecular biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Immunology, Neurology, Genetics/Genomics, or related STEM fields with hands-on relevant experience.

• Demonstrated hands on expertise in human in vitro model systems (such as hiPSC neurons, astrocytes, microglia and/or complex organoids) for modeling disease neurodegeneration or neuroinflammation.

• Demonstrated experience in generating insights into target or disease mechanisms particularly by leveraging multiomic approaches such as proteomics, imaging, metabolomics and RNA based methods such as single cell sequencing and/or spatial technologies.

• A proven track record of experimental models to decipher mechanisms of action and linking target biology to physiological or biomarker outcomes in the context of human disease.

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills and thrive in an agile, highly collaborative environment, partnering closely with bench biologists, AI/ML scientists, and clinical colleagues.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep expertise in adeptly utilizing proteomic datasets (bulk proteomics and PTM analysis) to uncover novel disease mechanisms, target engagement markers, and pathway biology in Neurodegeneration.

• Proven ability to analyze and interpret RNA sequencing datasets in conjunction with proteomic data such as Proteogenomic workflows and/or integration of genomics data in protein expression analysis.

• Adept at independently analyzing multiomic datasets to derive mechanistic insights.

• Demonstrated expertise in generating hypotheses or contextualizing mechanistic findings using external academic consortia and human datasets (e.g., ROSMAP, ADNI, BioFINDER, PPMI).

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As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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The salary range for this role is

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. 

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