Translational Immunology Discovery Scientist

Merck; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long‑term incentive

401(k) matching

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to lead translational discovery in immunology and inflammatory disease. You will design and interpret complex experiments using primary immune cells, ex vivo samples, and multi‑omics data to build decision‑enabling translational packages.

The role requires strong independent design and collaboration across teams, with responsibilities spanning model development, data integration, and communication of results to stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's (with 13+ years), Master's (with 9+ years) or Ph.D. (with 5+ years) in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, translational science, biomedical sciences or related discipline and relevant experience.
• Strong foundation in immunology, inflammation, autoimmunity, or related immune‑mediated disease biology.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and interpret complex biological experiments.
• Hands‑on experience with primary cell culture, immune‑cell assays, co‑culture systems, tissue models, or ex‑vivo human sample platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, analyze, and interpret translational experiments to validate therapeutic targets in immunology, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
• Develop disease‑relevant in vitro, ex vivo, co‑culture, and patient‑derived tissue models.
• Integrate mechanistic, pharmacology, transcriptomic, spatial, and biomarker data to connect target biology with disease pathophysiology and mechanism of action.
• Generate decision‑enabling data packages to support target prioritization, candidate progression, biomarker hypotheses, and patient selection.
• Apply deep immunology expertise to design fit‑for‑purpose experiments and address key scientific questions.
• Introduce innovative translational models, technologies, and analytical platforms.
• Represent the function on project teams and communicate plans, progress, risks, and recommendations clearly.
• Collaborate with discovery biology, translational medicine, biomarker sciences, data science, pharmacology, clinical development, academia, and CRO partners.
• Mentor junior scientists through scientific guidance, experimental oversight, and data interpretation support.
• Promote scientific rigor, high‑quality documentation, inclusion, and a one‑team mindset.

Skills

Immunology

Cell biology

Translational research

Communication

Collaboration

Project leadership

Data interpretation

Education

PhD in immunology or related field (with 5+ years)

Tools

Flow cytometry

Cytokine profiling

Imaging

Spatial biology

Transcriptomics

Job description

Merck is seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to lead translational discovery in immunology and inflammatory disease. You will design and interpret complex experiments using primary immune cells, ex vivo samples, and multi‑omics data to build decision‑enabling translational packages.

The role requires strong independent design and collaboration across teams, with responsibilities spanning model development, data integration, and communication of results to stakeholders.