Principal Scientist - In Vitro Pharmacology - Assay Development and Screening
Novo Nordisk
June 26, 2026
On-site
Lexington, MA
Clinical Research and Development
The Position (Principal Scientist – In Vitro Pharmacology)
- Develop cell-based assays for emerging targets and perform functional screening of drug candidates to guide design and selection.
- Contribute to early screening strategy and execution to identify hits/lead candidates with desired in vitro potency, efficacy, and selectivity.
- Evaluate and implement new in vitro pharmacology protocols and bioassay techniques; recommend instrumentation/technologies for high-throughput screening and mechanistic biology.
- Develop, execute, and document experimental procedures; interpret, process, and store data in line with FAIR data principles.
- Lead individual contributor work and, when needed, serve as project lead/subject-specific coordinator; conduct literature/database research and use internal/external networks.
- Lead experiment teams; set experiment timelines; develop/optimize/draft protocols, study plans, and reports.
- Manage collaborations with external partners (CROs, biotech, academia) as needed.
- Present ideas/data to internal and global teams; mentor or be shadowed by less experienced team members as needed.
Essential Functions
- Advance early drug discovery projects; support target validation/maturation, mode-of-action studies, and high-throughput screening.
- Design/execute early screening strategies; develop/validate/implement in vitro assay technologies.
- Study ligand binding, target engagement, and pharmacodynamic characterization; provide guidance on candidate selection aligned to potency/selectivity bioassays.
- Analyze/communicate in vitro data (including regulatory submissions); ensure FAIR-compliant data integrity.
Qualifications
- Master’s with 12 years or PhD with 8 years; degree in pharmacological/biological/biochemical sciences preferred.
- Profound molecular pharmacology knowledge; hands-on in vitro cell-based models/detection systems for PD and HTS.
- Experience in early screening strategy; track record leading complex strategic projects and external collaborations.
- Ability to interpret complex issues; strong scientific communication (incl. regulatory).
- Experience in cross-disciplinary teams; use/integrate lab equipment for moderate-to-high-throughput screening.
- Digital mindset for electronic record-keeping, inventory/entity tools, data processing, and visualization.
Preferred Experience
- Targets relevant to cardiometabolic and/or rare diseases.
- Partnering/sourcing in in vitro assay development/compound screening.
- Mentorship experience; related disciplines (e.g., cell imaging, biophysics, PPI, structural biology, enzymology, formulation, analytical chemistry).
Application Instructions
- Call 1-855-411-5290 for special assistance/accommodation requests to apply (accommodation requests only).
- Develop cell-based assays for emerging targets and perform functional screening of drug candidates to guide design and selection.
- Contribute to early screening strategy and execution to identify hits/lead candidates with desired in vitro potency, efficacy, and selectivity.
- Evaluate and implement new in vitro pharmacology protocols and bioassay techniques; recommend instrumentation/technologies for high-throughput screening and mechanistic biology.
- Develop, execute, and document experimental procedures; interpret, process, and store data in line with FAIR data principles.
- Lead individual contributor work and, when needed, serve as project lead/subject-specific coordinator; conduct literature/database research and use internal/external networks.
- Lead experiment teams; set experiment timelines; develop/optimize/draft protocols, study plans, and reports.
- Manage collaborations with external partners (CROs, biotech, academia) as needed.
- Present ideas/data to internal and global teams; mentor or be shadowed by less experienced team members as needed.
Essential Functions
- Advance early drug discovery projects; support target validation/maturation, mode-of-action studies, and high-throughput screening.
- Design/execute early screening strategies; develop/validate/implement in vitro assay technologies.
- Study ligand binding, target engagement, and pharmacodynamic characterization; provide guidance on candidate selection aligned to potency/selectivity bioassays.
- Analyze/communicate in vitro data (including regulatory submissions); ensure FAIR-compliant data integrity.
Qualifications
- Master’s with 12 years or PhD with 8 years; degree in pharmacological/biological/biochemical sciences preferred.
- Profound molecular pharmacology knowledge; hands-on in vitro cell-based models/detection systems for PD and HTS.
- Experience in early screening strategy; track record leading complex strategic projects and external collaborations.
- Ability to interpret complex issues; strong scientific communication (incl. regulatory).
- Experience in cross-disciplinary teams; use/integrate lab equipment for moderate-to-high-throughput screening.
- Digital mindset for electronic record-keeping, inventory/entity tools, data processing, and visualization.
Preferred Experience
- Targets relevant to cardiometabolic and/or rare diseases.
- Partnering/sourcing in in vitro assay development/compound screening.
- Mentorship experience; related disciplines (e.g., cell imaging, biophysics, PPI, structural biology, enzymology, formulation, analytical chemistry).
Application Instructions
- Call 1-855-411-5290 for special assistance/accommodation requests to apply (accommodation requests only).