Principal Scientist -Emerging Obesity Mechanisms

Novo Nordisk; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

401(k) savings plan

Tuition reimbursement

Employee assistance program

Disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Parental leave policy

Job summary

Novo Nordisk seeks a highly motivated Principal Scientist to join the Emerging Obesity Mechanisms team in the US Obesity Research Department. You will lead the obesity and cardiometabolic comorbidity portfolio from discovery through IND‑ready data packages and collaborate across sites and with external partners.

As a disease expert, you will drive target identification, MoA narratives, and governance reviews to accelerate first‑in‑human decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; relevant post-graduate or industry experience.
• 22+ years of relevant experience required; MSc with 16+ yrs or PhD with 10+ yrs can be considered.
• Experience with small molecules and/or RNAi/siRNA modalities.
• Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.

Responsibilities

• Serve as biology and disease-area expert for MASH and obesity-related comorbidities.
• Lead target identification, validation and maturation across modalities.
• Build MoA narrative and prepare data packages for governance and IND readiness.
• Provide cross-functional leadership across biology, pharmacology, omics, and Denmark-based teams.
• Cultivate external collaborations to source targets and de-risk mechanisms.
• Drive scientific communication through publications and conferences.
• Mentor junior scientists toward autonomy and leadership.
• Champion human-centric drug discovery using primary human cells and multi-omics models.
• Bring receptor-pharmacology MoA expertise to build translatable MoA datasets.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

MoA expertise

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Postgraduate/Industry experience

PhD

Job description

About The Department

The US-based Emerging Obesity Mechanisms department delivers scientific excellence in energy‑expenditure‑, muscle‑, and liver‑related mechanisms of obesity, advancing novel small‑molecule and RNAi targets through human in vitro characterization and mode‑of‑action discovery. As part of Obesity Research US, it helps diversify the pipeline, contributing to the broader Obesity & Cardiometabolic Research goal of building a differentiated pipeline across obesity and its comorbidities.

About The Department

The US-based Emerging Obesity Mechanisms department delivers scientific excellence in energy‑expenditure‑, muscle‑, and liver‑related mechanisms of obesity, advancing novel small‑molecule and RNAi targets through human in vitro characterization and mode‑of‑action discovery. As part of Obesity Research US, it helps diversify the pipeline, contributing to the broader Obesity & Cardiometabolic Research goal of building a differentiated pipeline across obesity and its comorbidities.

The Position

Are you a driven and passionate scientist with a strong scientific background in Obesity related comorbidities, such as MASH or CVD? Do you wish to help shape our research initiatives and contribute to the development of life‑changing therapies? Look no further! Our company is seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to join our Emerging Obesity Mechanisms research team as part of the US Obesity Research Department.

As a Principal Scientist, you will be responsible for executing and delivering on our Obesity and Cardiometabolic Comorbidities portfolio and be considered a disease expert. You will be involved in leading and championing target data packages from discovery through IND submissions for our US‑based Obesity Research department.

Relationships

Reports to the Director of Emerging Obesity Mechanisms at Novo Nordisk in Massachusetts. Internal relationships include working closely with technical staff & other members of the Obesity Research US leadership team. Additionally, regular collaborations with members of other research departments & frequent interaction with project managers, project leads, governance leadership, and other colleagues across global R&D. Individual may indirectly mentor less experienced team members. Individuals may interact with external research collaborators in both academia and industry.

Essential Functions

• Serve as a biology and disease‑area expert for MASH and obesity‑related comorbidities focused on peripheral organs (CVD and emerging "feel & see" indications like osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, muscle preservation as defined by portfolio strategy).
• Lead target identification, validation and maturation of novel obesity‑comorbidity targets from idea generation through pre‑clinical and clinical‑stage gates across small‑molecule and RNAi/siRNA modalities.
• Build and strengthen the mechanism‑of‑action narrative and assemble the scientific rationale, data packages and screening plans required for governance review to accelerate progression toward first human dose / IND submission.
• Provide cross‑functional and cross‑site scientific leadership, coordinating biology activities with pharmacology, digital biology/omics, and Denmark‑based counterparts, and communicating clearly with project teams and stakeholders on strategy, unmet need and priorities.
• Cultivate and manage external academic and biotech collaborations to in‑source targets/assets, de‑risk mechanisms and extend capabilities across MASH and broader obesity comorbidities, in line with the site's goal of extracting greater value from external innovation.
• Drive scientific communication through publications, participation at conferences, and building external interactions with Key Opinion Leaders as assets advance.
• Mentor and upskill junior scientists towards scientific autonomy and leadership capabilities needed to progress and champion targets through the broader Obesity pipeline
• Champion human‑centric, fit‑for‑purpose drug discovery by prioritizing primary human cells, patient‑relevant in vitro systems, and multi‑omics‑informed disease modelling to strengthen translational relevance
• Bring deep receptor‑pharmacology and mechanism‑of‑action expertise to build robust, translatable MoA‑based datasets across small‑molecule and RNAi modalities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Relevant Post‑graduate or industry experience required
• 22+ years’ relevant experience required, Master’s Degree with 16 years relevant industry or post‑doctorate experience can be considered. PhD with 10 years relevant industry or post‑doctorate experience can be considered
• Relevant required experience includes: small molecules and/or RNAi/siRNA modalities
• Preferred experience includes: Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills

The base compensation range for this position is $180,000 to $235,000. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long‑term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the position's level or other company factors.

• medical, dental and vision coverage
• life insurance
• disability insurance
• 401(k) savings plan
• flexible spending accounts
• employee assistance program
• tuition reimbursement program
• group legal
• critical illness
• identity theft protection
• pet insurance
• auto/home insurance
• sick time policy
• flex‑able vacation policy
• parental leave policy

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.