Senior Scientist II, Drug Screening

About the Department

As part of the establishment of our R&D Hub in greater Boston, Novo Nordisk is growing its efforts within Small Molecular and Cross Modality Research. A cornerstone of this is the expansion of our capabilities in assay development and screening to support the validation of drug targets and advance drug research programs that address unmet needs of patients living with chronic diseases.

Building on our success in delivering treatments for diabetes and obesity, and their cardiometabolic complications as well as rare diseases, we are growing our teams and technological capabilities to explore new drug targets and to pursue novel therapies across a range of modalities.

In growing Novo Nordisk R&D presence in Greater Boston, we seek to bring together our 100-year heritage and experience with the unparalleled Boston innovation ecosystem. In Vitro Pharmacology team is part of Chemical Biology department situated within Small Molecule and Cross Modality Research area. We are part of Therapeutics Discovery, a key pillar of Novo Nordisk’s R&D organization, working on projects across all therapeutic areas.

Chemical Biology multidisciplinary department brings together scientists specializing in molecular and cell biology, in vitro pharmacology, molecular interactions, bioanalysis, peptide chemistry, and protein engineering and characterization. We are currently expanding our in vitro pharmacology capabilities to help drive early research programs from ideas to lead candidates, both internally and in collaboration with Novo Nordisk’s external partners. You will become part of a vibrant, science-focused team so we can together drive innovation.

In your role as Senior Scientist II – Drug Screening within In Vitro Pharmacology team you will be responsible for development of cell-based assays for emerging targets and functional screening of drug candidates to guide candidate design and selection. You will be involved in projects focused primarily on small molecules and peptides as well as conjugates of these with other modalities, including biologics and oligonucleotides.

Your role will be to define and execute early screening strategies to ensure identification of hits with desired in vitro potency, efficacy and selectivity, and further optimization of structure‑activity relationships. Your contribution will include evaluating and implementing new molecular and cellular in vitro pharmacology assay tools, techniques and protocols, recommending new solutions and enhancing our mechanistic biology, compound screening and automation capabilities.

You will contribute with your in vitro biology and molecular pharmacology subject matter expertise as a member of interdisciplinary project teams. You will be working together with researchers representing a variety of scientific disciplines key for early‑stage drug discovery. Your results will be essential for driving project team activities and informing key decisions regarding project progression.

Internal relationships include working closely with researchers and scientific leadership within Greater Boston R&D Hub and across global research sites and other areas and functions within Novo Nordisk. You may represent department and/or project team in external research collaborations, both academic & industry‑based, when required. You will report to the head of In Vitro Pharmacology. This is an Individual Contributor position:
Senior Scientist II will not manage other employees or contingent workers; however, the person might be tasked with coaching and/or supervising other team members.

• Advances research projects by applying broad knowledge of early drug discovery.
• Demonstrates deep understanding of subject matter, specialist skills, and creative thinking.
• Supports target validation and maturation, conducts mode‑of‑action studies and low‑to‑medium throughput screening, and oversees high‑throughput screening in close collaboration with colleagues from project‑relevant therapeutic areas, chemists, formulation scientists, data stewards and other stakeholders.
• Develops, validates, and implements in vitro assay…