Senior Scientist, Systems Biology

Job Description

The Vaccines & Advanced Biotechnologies department, part of our company Research Labs, is looking for a passionate and talented systems biologist with expertise in the generation and analysis of complex multi-dimensional and multi-scale biological data to join our research team and support our company discovery & development efforts at West Point, PA.

In this role, you will be at the very leading-edge of therapeutic research and development, developing and implementing experimental and computational tools in a dynamic and scientifically rigorous environment. You will operate in a highly collaborative and matrixed organization and engage with cross-functional teams of experimental and computational biologists, data scientists, and colleagues across our company ecosystem to drive a diverse therapeutic pipeline.

The successful candidate will be a scientifically curious team player and self-motivated learner with previous knowledge of functional genomics-driven experimental strategies at the bulk and single-cell scales and an interest in developing and using technology solutions (algorithms/tools/etc) to aid in our interpretation of complex biological data.

An ability to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively with colleagues from different disciplines will be essential. 

This role is based at our West Point, PA location.

In this exciting role, you will:

• Directly contribute to multiple stages of therapeutic development through rigorous design and/or implementation of high-dimensional functional genomics and cellular profiling assays, including in vitro and in vivo pooled/arrayed CRISPR screens, single-cell transcriptomics and lineage tracing, as well as experimental and in silico derived proteomic datasets.

• Perform statistically rigorous quantitative analyses while employing reproducible research and data integrity practices on large-scale biological datasets.

• Analyze, interpret, and summarize complex biological data and employ data visualization tools to facilitate communication of findings to broader audiences.

• Identify, analyze, and integrate internal and external data and knowledge resources to enable data mining in a biological context and inform actionable learnings to drive pipeline development.

• Develop and implement experimental and/or computational methods to integrate findings from functional genomics screens and other data sets (including RNA-Seq, DRUG-seq, WGS, CRISPR, single cell RNA-Seq, proteomics, and metabolomics) with additional biological data streams to generate deep biological knowledge and drive innovation.

REPRESENT SYSTEMS BIOLOGY EXPERTISE IN CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS:

• Provide clear interpretation of high-dimensional data and propose candidates for further computational and biological interrogation.

• Engage with cross-functional teams to translate biological hypotheses into experimental and/or computational interrogations of functional genomics data as well as multi-omics molecular profiles to drive iterative experimental design decisions.

• Work in a highly collaborative environment, tightly embedded in project teams across scientific disciplines and functions, bringing together genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, as well as molecular and cellular biology to accelerate the development of therapeutics.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND GROW YOUR CAREER:

• Survey relevant literature on novel experimental and computational methods and introduce them into in-house portfolio of workflows.

• Keep up to date on project-relevant literature (experimental and analytics topics in functional genomics space, specific disease biology, etc) and attend relevant conferences.

• Further your professional development by participating in workshops and seminars aimed at personal and professional growth.

Required Education and Experience:

• Ph.D. in Systems Biology, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Biostatistics, Genetics, Immunology, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Statistics, or related field and 2 years of experience.

• Masters in areas mentioned above with 6+ years of experience.

• Experience can be a mix of relevant academic or industrial experience.

Required Experience and Skills:

APPLIED EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated experience with experimental and computational strategies and interpretation of large-scale biological data such as various sequencing modalities, pooled/arrayed CRISPR-based screens.

• Demonstrated fluency with generation and analysis of diverse large-scale NGS experimental datasets (e.g., RNAseq, WES, scRNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, etc).

• Demonstrated experience with statistical hypothesis testing methodology and machine learning concepts and methods.

• Experience with integrating results generated from multiple data sources (e.g., different 'omics data sets), and biological knowledge bases to extract meaningful biological insights.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Fluency with experimental and computational methods for generating and interrogating high-dimensional biological data. Programming skills with application in statistical analysis (e.g., R, Rshiny, tidyverse, Python, MATLAB), and ability to distill complex data into interpretable visualizations.

• Experience with cell culture, RNA/DNA extractions, preparation of sequencing libraries, molecular biology tools, experimental design strategies.

• Experience with HPC, AWS cloud computing infrastructure and Linux environments.

• Experience with version control systems, such as Git (e.g., Github). Ability to adapt to and work with existing analytic frameworks.

 

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Understanding the pros and cons of various algorithms for DNA-seq, RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq and/or functional genomics data.

• Familiarity with the data and analytic capabilities of public repositories.

• Familiarity with public databases, and repositories of DNA, RNA, protein, single-cell, as well as functional genomics data.

• Experience extracting meaningful biological insights from high-dimensional biological readouts.

• Strong publication record.

Required Skills:

Analytical Thinking, Bioanalytical Method Development, Bioanalytical Techniques, Computational Biology, Data Analysis, Experimentation, Genomics, NGS Technologies, Research Proposal Development, RNA-Seq, Scientific Writing, Synthetic Biology, Teamwork, Tissue Culture Techniques, Working Independently

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

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.

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.

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:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

04/24/2026

*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.