Principal Scientist, Discovery Separation Sciences
Merck
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Job summary
Merck is seeking a Principal Scientist in Boston within the Discovery Chemistry Separation Sciences group. The role provides scientific leadership and operational oversight for purification and analytical chromatography across multiple drug modalities, including small molecules and peptides.
It requires deep expertise in HPLC, SFC, and related purification workflows, with a strong emphasis on cross‑functional collaboration and capability development.
Qualifications
- Ph.D. or equivalent with extensive industrial drug-discovery experience.
- MS with 10–12 years of relevant industrial experience in pharma/biotech drug discovery.
- BS with 12–15 years of relevant industrial experience in pharma/biotech drug discovery.
Responsibilities
- Provide scientific leadership and operational oversight for purification and analytical chromatography.
- Lead purification workflows including high-throughput library purification and chiral separations.
- Develop and implement innovative technologies, automation, and digital workflows within Separation Sciences.
- Develop and mentor scientists and staff, fostering an inclusive high‑performing culture.
- Partner with cross‑functional teams to advance drug discovery programs.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
We are seeking an accomplished scientist and leader to join Discovery Chemistry as a Principal Scientist within the Boston Separation Sciences group.
We are seeking an accomplished scientist and leader to join Discovery Chemistry as a Principal Scientist within the Boston Separation Sciences group.
The successful candidate will provide scientific leadership and operational oversight for purification and analytical chromatography capabilities supporting drug discovery programs across multiple modalities, including small molecules, peptides, targeted protein degraders, and emerging therapeutic formats. This role requires deep technical expertise in both HPLC and SFC chromatography and demonstrated experience supporting a broad range of purification workflows, including high-throughput library purification, singleton purification, chiral separations, and analytical support for medicinal chemistry programs. The role combines laboratory leadership, scientific expertise, capability development, people management, and cross‑functional collaboration to ensure the delivery of high‑quality purification and analytical support to project teams.
The Principal Scientist will contribute to the advancement of Separation Sciences capabilities through the implementation of innovative technologies, development of scientific talent, optimization of workflows, and partnership with colleagues across Discovery Chemistry and adjacent functions. The individual will serve as a recognized subject matter expert while contributing to project, departmental, and capability strategies that enhance the effectiveness and impact of drug discovery efforts.
- Serve as a recognized subject matter expert in purification and separation sciences, providing scientific leadership and contributing to purification and analytical activities that enable Discovery Chemistry programs through the delivery of high-quality compounds, analytical data, and scientific recommendations.
- Provide technical leadership and expertise in chromatographic purification, analytical separations, impurity isolation, and related technologies, while guiding resolution of complex scientific and operational challenges.
- Foster a culture of scientific excellence, operational efficiency, safety, and quality throughout laboratory operations.
- Champion and implement innovative technologies, laboratory informatics platforms, LIMS solutions, automation‑enabled purification workflows, and digital capabilities that enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of Separation Sciences capabilities.
- Establish best practices, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and contribute to capability roadmaps aligned with Discovery Chemistry priorities.
- Recruit, manage, mentor, and develop scientists and laboratory staff, building both technical expertise and leadership capability across the organization.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high‑performing environment that supports employee development, succession planning, and scientific excellence.
- Partner closely with Medicinal Chemistry, Process Chemistry, Analytical Sciences, Automation, Informatics, IT, and other research functions to support project progression and capability development.
- Serve as a trusted scientific partner to project teams, contributing purification and analytical expertise to project strategy and departmental initiatives.
- Partner in laboratory operations, instrumentation strategy, capital planning, and implementation of automation and digital solutions that improve scientific productivity.
- Partner with Facilities, Procurement, Engineering, IT, and external vendors to ensure reliable laboratory operations, regulatory compliance, and continuous capability advancement.
- Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and scientific advances in separation sciences and chromatography, contributing to our company’s scientific reputation through publications, presentations, collaborations, and external engagement.
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline with a minimum of 8 years of relevant industrial experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research environment.
Or
- M.S. in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline with 10-12 years of relevant industrial experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research environment.
Or
- B.S. in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline with 12-15 years of relevant industrial experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research environment.
- Extensive experience in chromatographic purification and analytical separations supporting drug discovery programs, with expertise in HPLC, uHPLC, LCMS, SFC, and preparative chromatography technologies.
- Demonstrated experience supporting multiple therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, peptides, targeted protein degraders, and other emerging modalities.
- Experience with high-throughput experimentation (HTE), high-throughput and singleton purification workflows, laboratory automation, and analytical support within a Discovery Chemistry environment.
- Demonstrated ability to provide scientific leadership, influence technical direction, and deliver results through a laboratory-based scientific capability, including scientific leadership in chromatography, separation sciences, analytical chemistry, or related drug discovery capabilities.
- Experience implementing new technologies, laboratory informatics platforms, LIMS solutions, automation-enabled purification workflows, digital workflows, instrumentation, and process improvements.
- Experience managing, mentoring, and developing scientific staff, with strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence.
- Track record of cross‑functional and cross‑site scientific leadership, capability deployment, technology transfer, and successful collaboration across Discovery Chemistry sites, scientific disciplines, and research organizations.
- Experience partnering with IT, Informatics, Automation, Facilities, Procurement, and external vendors to develop and advance scientific capabilities.
- Experience with laboratory capital planning, laboratory build‑out, infrastructure strategy, or management of scientific instrumentation portfolios.
- Publications, presentations, patents, or other evidence of external scientific engagement and professional visibility.
Chromatography, High‑Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), High‑Throughput Experimentation (HTE), Liquid Chromatography‑Mass Spectrometry (LC‑MS), Organic Synthesis, Project Leadership, Scientific Leadership, Separation Sciences, Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC)
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
$176,200.00 - $277,300.00
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.
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.
Regular
Domestic
No
10%
Not Applicable
Not Indicated
No
Standard lab reagents
09/28/2026
- 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.
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