Job Description

The Cardiometabolic Disease (CMD) department at our Company’s Research Laboratories located in South San Francisco is seeking a highly innovative and rigorous Senior Scientist with a proven track record in renal and cardiovascular disease biology. The successful candidate will lead hypothesis-driven research projects from mechanistic pathway discovery and target identification to experimental design and advanced data analysis, driving the discovery pipeline for cardiovascular and renal disorders.

This role requires deep expertise in developing and characterizing in vivo animal models, integrating multi-omics approaches, and designing in vitro systems to interrogate disease mechanisms. The candidate will collaborate across cross-functional teams, mentor junior scientists, and manage complex non-clinical studies, contributing to our Company’s mission of advancing novel therapeutic targets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently initiate and lead discovery projects to uncover and validate therapeutic targets for cardio-renal diseases
• Establish and characterize renal, cardiovascular, and metabolic animal models, utilizing functional in vivo endpoints, tissue/plasma genomics/proteomics/transcriptomics/metabolomics, and in vitro cell-based and biochemical assays
• Develop and optimize in vitro systems and cell-based functional assays for mechanism-of-action studies and compound profiling and screening
• Integrate omics data (including single-cell transcriptomics from patient-derived tissues) to inform target selection strategies
• Leverage imaging strategies (e.g., confocal fluorescence microscopy or intravital multiphoton microscopy) to investigate quantitative disease endpoints
• Spearhead collaborative projects across multidisciplinary teams and co-manage partnerships with external academic and industry collaborators
• Present impactful findings at internal and external meetings and contribute to scientific publications and technical reports
• Diligently document research activities using electronic lab notebooks; take on shared lab-based responsibilities

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's (with 7 years), Master's (with 4 years) or Ph.D. (with 1 year) in Biology, Physiology or a related discipline and relevant experience in academic or industrial settings

Required Experience and Skills:

• Extensive hands-on experience in developing and characterizing in vivo rodent models for renal (e.g. DKD, ADPKD, FSGS) and cardiovascular disease (e.g. heart failure, ASCVD), including survival surgeries (e.g., osmotic mini-pump implantation), cardiovascular phenotyping (echocardiography, hemodynamic assessments), renal phenotyping (glomerular filtration rate measurements, assess serum and urinary biomarkers), and/or metabolic cage measurements
• Experience in designing, executing, and interpreting in vitro and ex vivo experiments
• Strong record of impactful publications, oral and poster presentations at international conferences, and recognition for research excellence
• Proven ability to be a team player, lead collaborative cross-functional projects, and manage complex non-clinical studies
• Advanced skills in scientific communication, data analysis (e.g. RStudio, GraphPad Prism, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis), statistical methods, and electronic lab documentation
• Strategic and independent thinker with a drive to innovate and initiate, own and efficiently advance projects through the discovery pipeline. Proven ability to understand disease mechanisms and solve complex problems by undertaking innovative approaches and applying state-of-the art technologies

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Proficiency in iPSC-based assays and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing
• Demonstrated expertise in multi-omics approaches (single-cell RNA-seq, tissue/plasma proteomics) and data integration for target identification and validation

#EligibleforERP

Required Skills:

Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Surgery, In Vitro Studies, In Vivo Animal Models, In Vivo Experiment, In Vivo Models, In Vivo Studies, Phenotyping, Survival Surgeries

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

$131,400.00 - $206,800.00

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/International

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

YES

Job Posting End Date:

01/23/2026

*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.