Principal Research Scientist I, Molecular Screening and Characterization

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced PhD scientist to join the Molecular Screening and Characterization group within AbbVie’s Drug Discovery Science and Technology organization. The group is responsible for implementing and executing primary biochemical and/or cellular assays for high-throughput screening (HTS), phenotypic screening, and to enable lead generation and optimization efforts for medicinal chemistry at our Chicago area research site. The group utilizes various pharmacological strategies to support target discovery and validation, hit identification approaches, and lead optimization efforts for both target-based and phenotypic programs to enable support from initial ideas to clinical candidate selection in close collaboration with disease biology areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology, and other emerging areas. Additional focus of the group includes characterization of cellular models, exploratory work to validate therapeutic hypotheses as well as mechanistic studies to understand molecular mechanisms of compounds.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Design and apply biochemical principles to develop in vitro assay development, screening strategies, and mechanism of action studies and deliver high quality screening data to drive SAR support lead series identification.
• Engage and collaborate with multiple disease area teams and make substantial contributions to the conception, execution of experiments including mechanism of action studies and data generation within strict time and quality tolerances.
• Contribute to the long-term vision that supports incorporation of technology and new processes that provide for future efficiency and novel target enablement needs.
• Supervise team members, as needed, to conduct experiments, analyze and interpret datasets. Present results relevant to target enablement/validation, mechanistic studies, structure-activity relationship analysis etc.  in relevant settings.
• Schedule and prioritize workload to manage several tasks simultaneously.  Maintain a high level of productivity in the laboratory setting.
• Collaborate with functional and technical experts to facilitate scientific achievement. Must be capable of working independently while contributing in a team environment.

Skills & Experience

• PhD in biochemistry, biochemical pharmacology, or enzymology with minimum 6 years post-degree experience
• PhD with 10 years post-degree experience including 3+ years industry experience preferred
•  Demonstrate expertise in enzymology/biochemistry as revealed by prior scientific contributions. 
• Experience in target based high throughput screening for hit identification, data mining and triaging is required
• Proven record in in vitro and cellular mechanistic studies including enzyme kinetics, compound MOA and target engagement
• Knowledge of cellular signal transduction is strongly preferred
• Prior experience in target deconvolution, identification and validation using multidisciplinary approaches including pathway analysis, genomic screening (siRNA, CRISPR) is strongly preferred
• Prior experience in working as part of a multi-disciplinary team focused on the discovery and advancement of novel therapeutic mechanisms as well as having a sustained track record of delivering high quality datasets.
• Computational skills’ enabling automated data acquisition and analysis, and familiarity with related software applications such as Spotfire is highly desired.
• Familiarity with assay technologies, automation, and high throughput screening approaches are preferable.
•  Experience of working in the following areas such as chemical biology, proteomics, degrader platforms, and relevant technology development would be a plus.
• Effective written/oral communication skills and a proven track record of problem-solving and publications.
• Proven experience in mentoring and supervision

At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. If you would like to view a copy of the company’s affirmative action plan or policy statement, please email CorpJat_ABV@abbvie.com.