Senior Scientist COPD/IPF

What you will do: 

This job is a lab-based research role, and you will have a significant opportunity to influence the direction of the work. The work will be predominantly with human in vitro systems, working with primary and disease tissue-derived cells.  Ideally, you have strong expertise with primary cell culture (human lung stromal cells and macrophages) and in vitro techniques assays such as Westerns, ELISAs, PCR. Experience in IHC, Ventana is a plus.

You will focus your contributions to a team focused on characterizing novel biology pathways pertinent to chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to aid target validation and drug projects  

Examples of accountability 

You will focus your contributions to a team focused on characterizing novel biology pathways pertinent to chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to aid target validation and drug projects  

In a team setting, you will contribute by applying molecular and cellular biology techniques, and to interpret and communicate results to team members  

You will support new target identification and validation You will collaborate with scientists from a variety of functional teams in Gaithersburg and with our sites in Cambridge, UK, and Gothenburg, Sweden 

Essentials for the role: 

• A Master's or Bachelor’s degree in biology or related fields  

• Expert in IHC, Ventana and respiratory biology (COPD, IPF) 

• Highly organized and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team to contribute to research projects  

•  Demonstrated ability to design and conduct laboratory projects/experiments, develop methods, generate and interpret scientific data; competent in trouble shooting and critiquing data 

Additionally, the optimal candidate will possess: 

• Strong hands-on skills in basic biochemical and molecular techniques including cell culture, quantification of mRNA (qPCR) and protein expression; ELISA, as well as assay development   

• Expertise in primary human cell culture, especially Air-Liquid-interface epithelial cell cultures, primary lung fibroblasts, immune cells, macrophages 

• Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to critically analyze datasets  

• The ability to work as part of a team and collaborate with colleagues across a variety of discipline 

Desirable for the role:  

• Experience in Ventana, MSD  

• Experience with PowerPoint, Excel, GraphPad Prism 

• Drug discovery experience is a plus