Principal Research Scientist I

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie is seeking a highly motivated toxicologist to support discovery-stage programs in preclinical safety. The role involves leveraging in silico, in vitro, and in vivo tools to design a safety strategy and drive progress across programs within the Investigative Toxicology and Pathology group.

You will work cross-functionally, provide subject-matter expertise, and may mentor a team while collaborating with other groups to advance scientific goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher with extensive experience (14+ years for Bachelor, 12 for Master, 6+ for PhD).
• Experience directing and interpreting data from in vitro safety studies.
• Ability to work independently and develop research strategies.
• Effective scientific writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute a safety strategy for discovery-stage programs.
• Develop and deploy in vitro safety tools and appropriate endpoints.
• Identify and resolve project hurdles using available information and resources.
• Communicate program strategy across cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Incorporate literature findings into safety assessments and strategies.
• Pursue data-driven exploratory experiments to advance projects.
• Mentor or supervise junior team members and assess performance.

Skills

In vitro safety studies

Independent research

Scientific communication

Data interpretation

Collaborative teamwork

Education

PhD or equivalent

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Company Description

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Job Description

Purpose

We are seeking a highly‑motivated toxicologist to support discovery-stage programs across therapeutic areas within preclinical safety. As part of the Investigative Toxicology and Pathology group, the successful candidate will effectively leverage in silico, in vitro, and in vivo tools to design and execute a safety assessment strategy to support pipeline advancement. As project toxicologist, this scientist will work cross‑functionally, providing critical subject matter expertise and data integration to drive progress for programs.

Responsibilities

• Support project teams to design and execute a safety strategy specific to the needs of the project by leveraging internal and external resources, in silico tools, in vitro models, and in vivo studies. Select and design experiments that answer key questions, are decision‑enabling, and promote judicious progression of programs.
• Support development and deployment of in vitro tools for safety assessment (simple and complex in vitro models, or NAMs) and utilize appropriate endpoints (imaging, toxicogenomic, etc) to support decision‑making.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify and resolve key project hurdles by effectively utilizing available information and resources.
• Communicate effectively across cross‑functional teams and with leadership to support alignment on program strategy.
• Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual projects as well as the overall safety assessment strategy.
• Seize opportunities to pursue project‑relevant exploration and experiments to support data‑driven decision‑making and program progress.
• May mentor/supervise a team of one or more and evaluate the performance of those individuals; accountable for the effective performance of the team/individuals.
• Collaborate effectively with other teams to identify areas of scientific advancement and efficiency.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education and extensive, typically 14+ years of experience, Master’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 12 years of experience, PhD and typically 6+ years of experience.
• Experience directing the use of, and interpreting data from, in vitro safety studies.
• Demonstrate ability to function independently, generating original research or development strategies.
• Possess thorough theoretical and practical understanding of own scientific discipline.
• Effective writer and communicator of research. Demonstrated scientific communication and presentation skills.

Preferred:

• People leadership and management experience
• DABT board certification or equivalent
• Experience working on cross‑functional project teams, including but not limited to, within pharmaceutical development

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
• This job is eligible to participate in our long‑term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company’s sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.