Associate Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism, and Bioanalytics (PDMB) function of our Research & Development Division in West Point, Pennsylvania, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative scientist for the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) group. The Associate Principal Scientist will be a key contributor to multi-disciplinary drug development and discovery efforts providing an integrated understanding of DMPK properties, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), and drug interaction (DDI) risk of novel therapeutics.

The key responsibilities will be to work within teams of highly collaborative, cross-functional scientists to contribute to the discovery and clinical development of therapeutics across various modalities. The Associate Principal Scientist will guide the design and interpretation of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses to support the discovery of therapeutics with the desired DMPK profile. They will assess DDI risk using static mechanistic and/or physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models and guide clinical development teams on DDI strategy. They will author source reports and documents in support of regulatory filings. They will evaluate and predict potential program risks, while implementing appropriate strategies to address liabilities to ensure efficient program progression and decision making.

The ideal candidate must be able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, drive scientific development and innovation, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experience supporting both small molecule and biologics programs is desired.

Qualifications

• B.S., Master’s degree, or Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or relevant fields.

• B.S. or Master’s degree with 8+ years relevant experience, or Ph.D. with 5+ years of industry experience in a relevant field with a focus on discovery and development of therapeutics of various modalities.
• Experienced in integrating preclinical DMPK and pharmacology to enable translational modeling and simulation to support dose selection, design of PK/PD and safety assessment studies, and dose justifications for preclinical and clinical studies.
• Experience in assessing the impact of various factors on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of novel therapeutics and communicating analyses and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experience with authoring documents in support of IB, IND, WMA filings, and responses to regulatory inquiries.
• Demonstrated track record as an effective collaborator on multi-disciplinary discovery and development teams.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills, while delivering results on firm deadlines.

• Strong publication track record
• Experience building models and performing analyses using Phoenix and PBPK modeling software (e.g., SimCYP).
• Experience mentoring or supervising junior staff.

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Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.