Senior Medical Science Liaison, External Research

Job Summary

Job Title: Medical Science Liaison (MSL) / Senior Medical Science Liaison (Sr. MSL)

The role supports the commercial, research, and educational objectives of the company. Candidates should have a strong clinical and scientific background in oncology, genomic testing, and excellent communication skills. This is a field‑based position with preferred locations in Chicago or other US field‑based sites.

• Provide medical support to Precision Medicine Program Managers to ensure successful management of research discussions and intake of study concepts for potential collaborations.
• Engage academic KOLs and investigators in oncology to collaborate on external research, including investigator‑initiated trials, assay grants for biobank samples, prospective trials, and real‑world retrospective data studies.
• Seek opportunities to incorporate the company’s assays into high‑impact external research, including cooperative group trials and pharmaceutical trials (company‑sponsored or investigator‑led).
• Identify data gaps and clinical unmet needs in key cancer types for each assay platform or molecular signature.
• Assess study proposals from investigators for completeness, clarity, feasibility, clinical and scientific merit, and strategic value.
• Serve as a research liaison between internal data scientists and external investigators for all study‑related communications, including iterative workflows in reviewing analyses and study results.
• Support medical writing of abstracts, data presentations, and manuscripts on external research collaborations.
• Support engagements with potential research collaborators through regularly scheduled specialty‑specific working group meetings, including faculty from academic and community oncology centers.
• Manage and leverage KOL relationships gained through study collaborations to support broader research and educational interests for the organization.
• Collaborate with Medical Affairs and other internal teams to support medical advisory boards.
• Contribute to tracking and management of the External Research Portfolio, including abstract and publication planning/execution efforts.
• Support development and management of the Medical Research Strategy and Scientific Exchange Plans to guide prioritization of new external research investments.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with internal stakeholders in Medical Affairs, Marketing, Sales, R&D, Clinical Development, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and AI engineering.
• Attend oncology conferences and cooperative group research meetings to connect with KOLs and provide comprehensive meeting synopses and summaries of high‑impact scientific content.
• Continuously update internal stakeholders on relevant medical and scientific knowledge and proactively share market intelligence.

• 2+ years of Medical Science Liaison or other Medical Affairs experience in diagnostics, biotech, or pharmaceutical industries.
• Ability to project‑manage up to 25‑30 individual study collaborations at different phases of execution.
• Experience working with commercial field‑based sales and business account managers.
• Strong communication, liaison, and expectation‑management skills with KOLs and academic researchers.
• Existing KOL relationships in oncology preferred.
• Strong public‑speaking skills and ability to communicate scientific topics internally and externally.
• Working knowledge of statistical methods and clinical trial design principles preferred.
• Familiarity with genomic laboratory‑developed testing (LDT) and relevant regulations (CLIA‑88, CAP, Sunshine Act).
• Self‑starter with an ownership mindset, able to deliver on tight timelines.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.

• Advanced scientific or medical degree (PhD, Pharm
  
  D, MD, MSN, BSN).
• Advanced knowledge and experience in molecular oncology, biomarkers, and diagnostic platforms in clinical oncology.
• Experience in medical writing for abstracts, scientific presentations, and manuscripts.
• Formal education and experience in translational or clinical research in oncology strongly desired.
• Experience working in clinical settings, particularly within academic institutions, strongly…