Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Discovery

Merck; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long‑term incentive

401(k) matching

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to lead translational discovery in immunology and inflammatory disease. You will design and interpret complex experiments using primary immune cells, ex vivo samples, and multi‑omics data to build decision‑enabling translational packages.

The role requires strong independent design and collaboration across teams, with responsibilities spanning model development, data integration, and communication of results to stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's (with 13+ years), Master's (with 9+ years) or Ph.D. (with 5+ years) in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, translational science, biomedical sciences or related discipline and relevant experience.
• Strong foundation in immunology, inflammation, autoimmunity, or related immune‑mediated disease biology.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and interpret complex biological experiments.
• Hands‑on experience with primary cell culture, immune‑cell assays, co‑culture systems, tissue models, or ex‑vivo human sample platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, analyze, and interpret translational experiments to validate therapeutic targets in immunology, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
• Develop disease‑relevant in vitro, ex vivo, co‑culture, and patient‑derived tissue models.
• Integrate mechanistic, pharmacology, transcriptomic, spatial, and biomarker data to connect target biology with disease pathophysiology and mechanism of action.
• Generate decision‑enabling data packages to support target prioritization, candidate progression, biomarker hypotheses, and patient selection.
• Apply deep immunology expertise to design fit‑for‑purpose experiments and address key scientific questions.
• Introduce innovative translational models, technologies, and analytical platforms.
• Represent the function on project teams and communicate plans, progress, risks, and recommendations clearly.
• Collaborate with discovery biology, translational medicine, biomarker sciences, data science, pharmacology, clinical development, academia, and CRO partners.
• Mentor junior scientists through scientific guidance, experimental oversight, and data interpretation support.
• Promote scientific rigor, high‑quality documentation, inclusion, and a one‑team mindset.

Skills

Immunology

Cell biology

Translational research

Communication

Collaboration

Project leadership

Data interpretation

Education

PhD in immunology or related field (with 5+ years)

Tools

Flow cytometry

Cytokine profiling

Imaging

Spatial biology

Transcriptomics

Job description

Job Description

The Associate Principal Scientist will lead translational discovery activities through strong expertise in immune cell biology, human disease models, assay development, and data interpretation. The candidate will use primary immune cell systems, ex vivo patient samples, co‑culture models, tissue analyses, and multi‑omics datasets to build decision‑enabling translational packages.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute, analyze, and interpret translational experiments to validate therapeutic targets in immunology, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
• Develop disease‑relevant in vitro, ex vivo, co‑culture, and patient‑derived tissue models.
• Integrate mechanistic, pharmacology, transcriptomic, spatial, and biomarker data to connect target biology with disease pathophysiology and mechanism of action.
• Generate decision‑enabling data packages to support target prioritization, candidate progression, biomarker hypotheses, and patient selection.
• Apply deep immunology expertise to design fit‑for‑purpose experiments and address key scientific questions.
• Introduce innovative translational models, technologies, and analytical platforms.
• Represent the function on project teams and communicate plans, progress, risks, and recommendations clearly.
• Collaborate with discovery biology, translational medicine, biomarker sciences, data science, pharmacology, clinical development, academia, and CRO partners.
• Mentor junior scientists through scientific guidance, experimental oversight, and data interpretation support.
• Promote scientific rigor, high‑quality documentation, inclusion, and a one‑team mindset.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's (with 13+ years), Master's (with 9+ years) or Ph.D. (with 5+ years) in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, translational science, biomedical sciences or related discipline and relevant experience.

Required Experience And Skills

• Strong foundation in immunology, inflammation, autoimmunity, or related immune‑mediated disease biology.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and interpret complex biological experiments.
• Hands‑on experience with primary cell culture, immune‑cell assays, co‑culture systems, tissue models, or ex‑vivo human sample platforms.
• Ability to analyze biological, biochemical, immunological, and translational assay data and design follow‑up studies.
• Clear communication of complex science to multidisciplinary audiences.
• Effective collaboration across functions and ability to contribute to multiple projects in a matrixed environment.

Preferred Experience And Skills

• Experience developing translational models of inflammatory or autoimmune disease, immune‑cell activation, tissue inflammation, or immune‑mediated pathology.
• Expertise with flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, imaging, multiplex tissue analysis, spatial biology, transcriptomics, or related platforms.
• Experience integrating human datasets with experimental models to define mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, responder hypotheses, or combination strategies.
• Experience supporting drug discovery from target validation through candidate nomination or early clinical translation.
• Familiarity with immune‑mediated diseases such as IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriatic disease, lupus, asthma, or atopic dermatitis.
• Experience leading external collaborations or coordinating CRO work.

Required Skills

• Autoimmune Diseases
• Cell Biology
• Cell Cultures
• Immunology
• Immunology Research
• Immunotherapy
• Inflammatory Diseases
• Molecular Cell Biology
• Translational Research

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.

Requirements

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: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement 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.

The salary range for this role is $142,400.00 - $224,100.00 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.

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

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements

Not Applicable

Shift

1st - Day

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

n/a

Job Posting End Date

10/11/2026

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.

Requisition ID:

R417161