Senior Scientist, Respiratory Biology (Discovery Research)

The Senior Scientist will join the Respiratory Biology Discovery group and contribute to target identification, target validation, translational biology, and mechanism-of-action studies supporting early discovery programs in chronic lung diseases, including COPD, bronchiectasis, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and inflammatory airway diseases.

The successful candidate will leverage human-relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and translational experimental systems, with a particular emphasis on primary airway and alveolar epithelial biology, epithelial-stromal and immune-stromal interactions, tissue remodeling, fibrosis, regeneration, and biomarker discovery. The Senior Scientist will generate high-quality mechanistic datasets that inform target prioritization and program decisions and will collaborate closely within multidisciplinary discovery and translational teams.

• →Design, execute, and interpret in vitro and ex vivo studies to support respiratory target discovery, validation and translational biology programs.
• →Develop and apply disease‑relevant experimental systems, including primary airway epithelial cultures, air‑liquid interface (ALI) models, organoid systems, precision-cut lung slices (PCLS), and co-culture platforms.
• →Generate mechanistic datasets to investigate epithelial dysfunction, tissue remodeling, fibrosis, immune responses, and regenerative biology in chronic lung diseases.
• →Apply imaging techniques, including immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and high‑content imaging, with image‑based analysis to interrogate disease-relevant biology.
• →Perform and interpret flow cytometry/FACS‑based immune and cell phenotyping.
• →Support translational biomarker discovery and validation using patient-derived samples and multiplex biomarker platforms (Meso Scale Discovery, Luminex, Olink, AlphaLISA).
• →Integrate cellular, molecular, imaging, and biomarker datasets to inform project decisions and translational strategies.
• →Generate reproducible, high-quality data packages and communicate findings through presentations, technical reports, and cross-functional discussions.
• →Collaborate closely across biology, pharmacology, DMPK, and translational and clinical teams within a matrixed discovery environment.

• Bachelor's (with 7+ years), Master's (with 4+ years) or Ph.D. biology, immunology, pharmacology, physiology, pulmonary biology or related discipline and relevant experience

• Demonstrated expertise in respiratory biology and human primary cell culture systems, including airway and/or alveolar epithelial models
• Experience developing and applying disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo systems such as ALI cultures, organoids, co-culture models, or precision-cut lung slices
• Strong hands-on experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques
• Experience with flow cytometry/FACS, imaging-based approaches (IHC, IF, ICC, confocal microscopy), image analysis, and multiplex biomarker platforms (Meso Scale Discovery, Luminex, Olink, AlphaLISA or equivalent)
• Experience supporting translational biology, target validation, and mechanism-of-action studies
• Ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experimental studies
• Strong scientific communication skills and ability to present findings in cross-functional settings

• ​Prior experience in respiratory drug discovery, fibrosis, tissue remodeling, regenerative biology, or inflammatory lung disease research
• Experience with macrophage, fibroblast, epithelial, or immune-stromal co-culture systems
• Experience working with patient-derived respiratory tissues and primary human lung cells
• Familiarity with transcriptomic datasets including bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq
• Experience with organoid biology, human tissue-based models, or spatial biology approaches
• Knowledge of translational biomarker strategies and human disease-relevant endpoints

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The salary range for this role is

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.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include 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.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.