Associate Principal Scientist, Antibody Automation

Merck & Co.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 251,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. in South San Francisco is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to lead automation for antibody discovery, advancing automated workflows and high-throughput screening across programs.

You will manage a small team of automation scientists, prioritize initiatives, and collaborate with protein sciences, data sciences, engineering and therapeutic teams to deliver robust, scalable, decision-enabling capabilities.

Qualifications

• Led automated labs or high-throughput screening across multiple programs.
• Hands-on experience with automated liquid handling platforms and method programming.
• Experience with data processing and instrument integration using Python/SQL/R.
• Experience supervising a small automation team.
• Excellent cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Develop and advance automated workflows for antibody discovery.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the automation team.
• Prioritize work, manage resources across discovery workstreams.
• Collaborate across protein sciences, data sciences, engineering, and therapeutic teams.
• Deliver robust, scalable, decision-enabling capabilities.

Skills

Automation leadership

Hamilton Microlab STAR

Robotic arms

Python

SQL

R

Flow cytometry

ELISA

Team management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree (with 10+ years)

Master's degree (with 6+ years)

PhD (with 4+ years)

Tools

Laboratory automation software

Job description

Merck & Co. in South San Francisco is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to lead automation for antibody discovery, advancing automated workflows and high-throughput screening across programs.

You will manage a small team of automation scientists, prioritize initiatives, and collaborate with protein sciences, data sciences, engineering and therapeutic teams to deliver robust, scalable, decision-enabling capabilities.