Associate Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics

Merck & Co.; West Point (PA); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. in West Point, PA seeks an Associate Principal Scientist for the DMPK group to advance multi-disciplinary drug development with integrated DMPK, PK/PD, and DDI strategies.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, translational modeling, and regulatory documentation to support clinical development across modalities. Ideal candidates have 5+ years (PhD) or 8+ years (BS/MS) of industry experience in discovery and development, with strong leadership, communication, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years relevant industry experience for BS/MS, or 5+ years for PhD in therapeutics discovery and development.
• Experience integrating preclinical DMPK and pharmacology for translational modeling and dose justification.
• Experience communicating analyses to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experience with authoring IB, IND, WMA filings and responses to regulatory inquiries.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate in cross-functional teams to advance discovery and clinical development across modalities.
• Design and interpret in silico, in vitro, and in vivo DMPK analyses for PK/PD profiling.
• Assess DDI risk using static and PBPK models and advise on DDI strategy.
• Author source reports and documents supporting regulatory filings.

Skills

DMPK

PK/PD modeling

PBPK modeling

DDI assessment

Regulatory reporting

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or relevant fields

Tools

Phoenix

SimCYP

Job description

Job Description

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism, and Bioanalytics (PDMB) function of our Research & Development Division in West Point, Pennsylvania, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative scientist for the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) group. The Associate Principal Scientist will be a key contributor to multi‑disciplinary drug development and discovery efforts providing an integrated understanding of DMPK properties, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), and drug interaction (DDI) risk of novel therapeutics.

The key responsibilities will be to work within teams of highly collaborative, cross‑functional scientists to contribute to the discovery and clinical development of therapeutics across various modalities. The Associate Principal Scientist will guide the design and interpretation of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses to support the discovery of therapeutics with the desired DMPK profile. They will assess DDI risk using static mechanistic and/or physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models and guide clinical development teams on DDI strategy. They will author source reports and documents in support of regulatory filings. They will evaluate and predict potential program risks, while implementing appropriate strategies to address liabilities to ensure efficient program progression and decision making.

The ideal candidate must be able to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced environment, drive scientific development and innovation, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.-Experience supporting both small molecule and biologics programs is desired.

Qualifications

Education Minimum Requirement

• B.S., Master's degree, or Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or relevant fields.

Required Experience and Skills

• B.S. or Master's degree with 8+ years relevant experience, or Ph.D. with 5+ years of industry experience in a relevant field with a focus on discovery and development of therapeutics of various modalities.
• Experienced in integrating preclinical DMPK and pharmacology to enable translational modeling and simulation to support dose selection, design of PK/PD and safety assessment studies, and dose justifications for preclinical and clinical studies.
• Experience in assessing the impact of various factors on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of novel therapeutics and communicating analyses and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experience with authoring documents in support of IB, IND, WMA filings, and responses to regulatory inquiries.
• Demonstrated track record as an effective collaborator on multi-disciplinary discovery and development teams.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills, while delivering results on firm deadlines.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Strong publication track record
• Experience building models and performing analyses using Phoenix and PBPK modeling software (e.g., SimCYP).
• Experience mentoring or supervising junior staff.

Required Skills

• Bioanalytical Techniques, Cell-Based Assays, Clinical Development, DMPK, Drug Development, Flow Cytometry, Immunoassays, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)

Additional location(s)

Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information

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

Employee Status

Regular

Relocation

Domestic/International

VISA Sponsorship

Yes

Travel Requirements

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

NA

Job Posting End Date

11/16/2026

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

R425052

EEOC Information

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts.

Primary Location

USA - Pennsylvania - West Point

Compensation

• Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.
• The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

• $142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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 .