Sr. Scientist, Assay Development - Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery

MSD Malaysia; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement benefits

Paid holidays and time off

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in Boston, MA seeks a Senior Scientist to lead assay development for neuroscience biomarker strategies across preclinical to early clinical studies.

You will design, optimize, and automate high‑plex assays for human biofluids and tissues, enabling robust data packages for Go/No-Go decisions and patient stratification. The role requires hands-on experience with ultra-sensitive immunoassays, NGS workflows, and cross-functional collaboration with data scientists and mechanistic

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD with 6+ years industry experience or hands-on PhD in relevant fields.
• Proven biomarker assay development experience in large human cohorts and samples.
• Hands-on expertise in ultra-sensitive, multiplexed immunoassays (e.g., O-link) and NGS workflows.

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and deliver high-quality biomarker datasets from human and preclinical samples.
• Lead design, development, and qualification of fit-for-purpose biomarker methods.
• Drive automation and high-throughput immunoassays and NGS-based data generation.
• Collaborate with data scientists for automated workflows and multi-omics integration.
• Summarize data and status for governance decisions and partner updates.

Skills

Biomarker development

High-throughput assays

NGS workflows

Laboratory automation

Data analysis

Scientific communication

Education

Master’s or PhD in Molecular Biology/Neuroscience/Immunology

Tools

O-link

Flow cytometry

Job description

Job Title: Senior Scientist– Assay Development in Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery

Location: Boston, MA (On-Site)

Our Company’s Neuroscience Therapeutic area is seeking a Senior Scientist (R3) to join our Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery Team. The Neuroscience Biomarker Discovery group at our company's Research Labs (Boston) is accountable for designing and executing biomarker strategies across our company's Neuroscience portfolio, spanning from early preclinical discovery to early-stage clinical trials. The group’s mission is to bridge target disease biology, advanced mechanistic modeling, and computational analysis to formulate novel biomarker panels. Ultimately, this group generates the data packages and clinical biomarker strategies required to drive crucial pipeline Go/No-Go governance decisions and patient stratification for Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s) and Pain programs. Reporting to the Neuroscience Biomarker discovery lead at our company, this individual will play a pivotal role in assay development and generating data in support of biomarker strategies from preclinical models to human clinical and observational studies for Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Pain. This is a lab-based position located in Boston. You will lead the design, development, optimization, and automation of complex, high-dimensional assays to process human biofluids and tissues, generating the robust datasets required for pipeline Go/No-Go decisions and patient stratification.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Plan, design, execute and deliver high-quality biomarker datasets from observational human and preclinical samples in support of pipeline programs in Neuroscience at our company.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead the design, development, and qualification of fit-for-purpose biomarker methods.
• This includes driving our workhorse ultra-sensitive immunoassays while spearheading the adoption of high-plex NGS-based proteomic platforms (e.g., Olink).
• Partner closely with data scientists within and outside the team to ensure automated workflows yield high-fidelity data suitable for mixed-effects modeling and multi-omics integration.
• Collaborate with Mechanistic Validation scientists to support in vitro, in vivo readouts.
• Work on-site in the lab and summarize data and status of results with internal and external partners.
• Participate and contribute to the generation of data packages that enable key governance decisions for pipeline programs.
• Take the lead in identifying, piloting, and automating novel high-throughput methodologies for biomarker discovery (e.g., implementing robotic liquid handling, flow-cytometry based immune-cell profiling using single cell sequencing in human and mouse samples, or extracellular vesicles).

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s in molecular biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Immunology, Neurology, or related STEM fields with minimum 6 years of relevant industry experience OR PhD in molecular biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Immunology, Neurology, or related STEM fields with hands-on relevant experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in biomarker assay development and implementation in large scale human cohorts and samples from in vivo/in vitro studies.
• Extensive, hands-on expertise in developing de novo ultra-sensitive, multiplexed immunoassays (e.g. O-link), coupled with direct practical experience in Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) workflows.
• Proven hands-on expertise in programming and implementing laboratory automation tools and liquid handlers to scale high-throughput immunoassay and/or NGS-based datasets generation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and thrive in a highly collaborative and cross-functional environment.
• Demonstrated experience with clinical assay validation parameters (accuracy, precision, reproducibility) and regulatory guidelines (FDA/ICH) for biomarker qualification.

Desired Qualifications:

• Prior experience working in the Neuroscience therapeutic area, particularly in Neurodegeneration (eg. AD or PD).
• Prior expertise in implementing end-to-end NGS based workflows using the Illumina platform.
• Experience in one or more of the following techniques (flow cytometry panel design and data analysis, analysis of extracellular vesicles, NGS workflows, single-cell RNA sequencing).
• Adept at or strong willingness to leverage AI tools for conducting data quality controls and sound statistical analysis of large-scale datasets.

Required Skills:

• Assay Development, Bioassay Development, Biomarker Development, Biomarker Discovery, Biomarker Identification, Biomarkers, Disease Models, Drug Discovery Research, Flow Cytometry, High-Throughput Screening, Immunoassays, In Vitro Assays, In Vivo Models, Molecular Biology Techniques, Neurodegeneration, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Omics, Preclinical Research, Protein Purifications, RNA-Seq, Scientific Writing

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.

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.

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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

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully:

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.

Employee Status: Regular Relocation: Domestic VISA Sponsorship: Yes Travel Requirements: 10% Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable Shift: Not Indicated Valid Driving License: No Hazardous Material(s): BSL2, OEB4, Bloodborne pathogens Job Posting End Date: 09/21/2026 *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.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $106,200.00 - $167,200.00. 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.

Benefits

• 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.

Company Overview

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.