Senior Scientist, In Vitro (Cardiometabolic Disease)

Job Description

The Cardiometabolic Disease (CMD) department at our company's Research Labs in South San Francisco is seeking a Senior Scientist to join our discovery team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cardiovascular drug discovery by developing and applying robust cell-based and ex-vivo systems to advance understanding of disease biology and mechanism of action.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong initiative, operating in a multidisciplinary, matrixed environment to identify, mechanistically validate, and advance novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease. This role is well suited for an intellectually curious and driven scientist with a hypothesis-focused mindset who excels at integrating in vitro findings with preclinical in vivo and human-relevant insights to inform discovery-stage decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently design, optimize, and execute cell-based and ex-vivo assays to interrogate disease pathways and pharmacologic mechanisms.

• Lead mechanism-of-action studies using molecular, biochemical, and cellular approaches to link target modulation to disease biology.

• Generate high-quality, reproducible data and apply critical analysis to guide decision-making and prioritization.

• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to advance cardiovascular drug discovery programs.

• Incorporate emerging assay technologies to strengthen discovery capabilities.

• Stay current with scientific advances in cardiovascular and translational biology.

• Communicate scientific rationale, assay strategies, and key findings clearly to diverse audiences.

• Maintain rigorous documentation in electronic lab notebooks and contribute to presentations, technical reports, and manuscripts.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Master's (with 4+ years) or Ph.D. (with 1+ years) in physiology, pharmacology, biomedical sciences or related field and relevant drug discovery experience.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in designing, executing, and interpreting in vitro and ex-vivo experiments with high scientific rigor.

• Proven ability to independently drive experiments, troubleshoot assays, and derive actionable conclusions.

• Demonstrated creativity and problem-solving ability in addressing complex biological questions using state-of-the-art in vitro approaches (reflected by publications and/or impactful internal contributions).

• Proficiency in standard molecular, cellular, and biochemical techniques.

• Strong quantitative skills, including data analysis and application of statistical approaches to biological datasets.

• Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects in a matrixed environment.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with primary or advanced cell culture systems (including 2D and 3D models) in cardiac or vascular biology.

• Strategic thinker with a background in one or more relevant areas (atherosclerosis, heart failure, inflammation, renal disease, lipid metabolism).

• Solid understanding of the translational strengths and limitations of in vitro models.

• Experience developing fit-for-purpose in vitro assays to support compound profiling and mechanism-based evaluation.

• Familiarity with multi-omics approaches (e.g., single-cell RNA-seq and proteomics) to support target biology and validation.

• Understanding of in vivo cardiovascular models and physiological endpoints.

 #EligibleforERP

Required Skills:

Cardiometabolic, Cell Cultures, Ex Vivo Assays, In Vitro Assays, In Vitro Models, In Vitro Studies, Vascular Biology

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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The salary range for this role is

$131,400.00 - $206,800.00

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

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
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:

06/2/2026

*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.