Senior Scientist Structural Biology (X-ray crystallography, Cryo EM)

Merck; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Senior Scientist in Structural Biology to join their innovative team in Boston. This role offers the opportunity to work on groundbreaking research in X-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM, contributing to the development of transformative medicines and vaccines. The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, engaging with diverse teams and fostering a culture of inclusivity. With a focus on scientific excellence, this position promises to be both challenging and rewarding, as you lead critical experiments and communicate findings that drive impactful discoveries in the pharmaceutical field.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in structural biology, biochemistry, or related field required.
• Experience in X-ray crystallography and/or Cryo-EM essential.
• Strong communication and organizational skills needed.

Responsibilities

• Oversee experimental workflow from sample preparation to structure determination.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and manage scientific partnerships.
• Engage with the external scientific community through presentations.

Skills

X-ray crystallography

Cryo-EM

Communication Skills

Organizational Skills

Peer-reviewed research publication

Education

Ph.D. in Structural Biology

Ph.D. in Biochemistry

Tools

Python

Job description

Senior Scientist Structural Biology (X-ray crystallography, Cryo EM)

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Job Description

Are you ready to embark on an exhilarating career journey that combines innovation, collaboration, and impactful scientific discovery? At our Company, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, renowned for our commitment to excellence and groundbreaking research, we are committed to improving lives through innovative medicines, vaccines, and animal health products.

Protein and Structural Chemistry (PSC), a global team in Discovery Chemistry (DC), supports protein structural determination from Discovery to Development, agnostic to the modalities (small molecule, peptide, and macromolecules). We elucidate the structural basis of mechanisms of action and perform analyses to develop formulations. PSC is a diverse and inclusive team of approximately 40 structural biologists collaborating closely with medicinal and computational chemists, informaticians, mass spectrometrists, biophysicists, protein scientists, and pharmacologists utilizing state-of-the-art capabilities to drive drug design and development.

We seek a creative, self-motivated structural biologist with exceptional interpersonal and problem-solving skills to join our growing PSC group in the DC department at our Boston, Massachusetts site. The successful candidate will have experience in X-ray crystallography and/or Cryo-EM and will oversee all aspects of the experimental workflow from sample preparation and data collection to data processing, structure determination, and communication of structural analyses with key stakeholders. Additionally, the candidate will collaborate proactively with colleagues in Modeling & Informatics, Discovery Chemistry, Screening and Compound Profiling, Mass Spectrometry, and Biophysics, and will be expected to manage internal and external scientific partnerships as needed.

Productive and collaborative interactions with other members of our global, cross-functional department are essential. The candidate should foster and contribute to a diverse workforce where colleagues and partners feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. The role involves active engagement with the external scientific community through presentations at meetings and periodic travel to other locations.

Required Experience and Skills

• Ph.D. in structural biology, biochemistry, or related field.
• Experience in X-ray crystallography (crystallization screening, optimization, crystal harvesting, data collection, structure determination) and/or proficiency in atomic resolution single-particle Cryo-EM (sample prep, data collection, image processing, structure determination).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to facilitate team progress and clarity on program status for therapeutic teams and management.
• Strong organizational abilities with a proven track record of managing timelines effectively.
• Ability to publish peer-reviewed research.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience with structure determination of small molecule-protein and multi-subunit protein complexes.
• Knowledge of biophysical and functional characterization methods (e.g., SPR, thermal shift, ligand-binding, calorimetric assays) to inform construct design and optimization.
• Experience with computational tools for protein engineering and design.
• Experience with scientific programming (e.g., Python) and interest in applying computational tools to structural biology questions.