Translational Biomarkers Scientist, Oncology/Hematology

Merck; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 191,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement

Paid holidays

Sick days

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Merck seeks a Principal Scientist to lead strategic biomarker efforts across Oncology and Hematology programs. You will design and execute translational and clinical biomarker strategies, guiding decisions from early to late development and integrating biology, pharmacodynamics, and endpoints.

You will partner with multiple functions to translate hypotheses into actionable plans, develop patient-selection strategies, and communicate results for program-level decisions and external collaborations.

Qualifications

• Significant experience developing and executing translational or clinical biomarker strategies in oncology or hematology drug development.
• Strong scientific expertise in cancer biology, hematologic malignancies, translational oncology, or a related discipline.
• Translate hypotheses into biomarker strategies that inform clinical development decisions.
• Understand mechanism of action, disease biology, molecular heterogeneity, pharmacology, and clinical endpoints.
• Experience with one or more biomarker modalities (NGS, ctDNA, MRD, IHC, flow cytometry, gene-expression, proteomics).
• Ability to lead cross-functional work in a matrixed environment and influence without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead integrated biomarker strategies across oncology and hematology programs with cross-functional teams.
• Translate disease biology into translational hypotheses and fit-for-purpose biomarker approaches.
• Define how biomarkers inform development questions: proof of biology, dose, patient selection, response, and resistance.
• Ensure strategies are focused, scalable, and linked to actionable development questions.
• Serve as biomarker representative on program teams and provide strategic input for decisions.
• Collaborate with Discovery, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Data Science, and other functions to build translational plans.
• Lead interpretation of biomarker and clinical data and translate findings to actionable recommendations.
• Characterize disease heterogeneity, molecular drivers, response, resistance, and clinical outcomes.
• Develop patient-selection and precision-medicine strategies using various biomarkers.
• Apply circulating and tissue-based biomarkers (ctDNA, MRD, etc.) as appropriate.

Skills

Biomarker strategies

Oncology

Hematology

translational medicine

Data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Scientific writing

Biostatistics

Bioinformatics

Communication

Education

Ph.D./M.D. or equivalent

Tools

NGS

ctDNA

MRD

IHC

Flow cytometry

Gene-expression profiling

Proteomics

Job description

Merck seeks a Principal Scientist to lead strategic biomarker efforts across Oncology and Hematology programs. You will design and execute translational and clinical biomarker strategies, guiding decisions from early to late development and integrating biology, pharmacodynamics, and endpoints.

You will partner with multiple functions to translate hypotheses into actionable plans, develop patient-selection strategies, and communicate results for program-level decisions and external collaborations.