Senior Scientist - Global Drug Discovery

About the Department

Our Boston Research & Development hub, anchored in the greater Boston area, brings together the best minds in life science innovation. The teams located in facilities in Lexington, Watertown and Cambridge reflect the full R&D continuum, from early research through late-stage clinical development. Here, we are building for the future, creating a distinct R&D community based on collaboration, partnerships, and cutting-edge research across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas. We recognize that improving human health starts here and that patients rely on us. Our greater Boston R&D hub merges biotech speed and agility with large pharmaceutical company quality, resources, and stability, uniting the best of both worlds to develop new medicines for patients.
 
The team is comprised of collaborative, diverse and passionate people who have a true sense of pride in their work and are committed to helping others grow and develop their careers. You’ll also have a platform to engage with key stakeholders on a global scale throughout the entire pipeline process. And while changing the future of diabetes, obesity and MASH is no easy task, we also recognize the importance of an enjoyable workplace, which is why we’ve cultivated a culture of fun, ingenuity and innovation. And our competitive compensation package and support of a healthy work-life balance all add to a best-in-class employee experience. We are changing lives for a living. Are you ready to make a difference?

The Position

The Target Discovery Engine (TDE) is a global, multidisciplinary team that focuses on accelerating the path of target discovery

and validation at Novo Nordisk. Scientists, in the TDE, take a human-centric approach to drug discovery, utilizing cutting-edge

approaches to model human disease combined with advanced techniques in functional genomics and machine learning to

identify and characterize novel mechanisms. By doing so, the TDE team aims to redefine how the industry approaches target

discovery, with the ambition of accelerating the drug discovery process, through unlocking a deeper understanding of disease

and treatment outcomes.

The Senior Scientist, TDE US, will be responsible for developing and implementing innovative research strategies that leverage

well-characterized human cardio-metabolic cell models and advanced in vitro assay technologies to accelerate target

discovery and validation.

 

Relationships

Reports to the Director, TDE US. The person in this role will interact closely with TDE scientists in Boston, Oxford and Beijing,

and collaborate with global Therapy Area and Biology Innovation teams, to ensure efficient delivery of target discovery and

validation efforts. Additional internal relationships include working with research employees, project managers, as well as

with global colleagues in other areas across Novo Nordisk Inc. This position may mentor or indirectly supervise junior

scientists and research associates. External relationships include those with contract research organizations, key opinion

leaders, innovative academic and biotech partners.

 

Essential Functions

• Development and application of human cardio-metabolic disease cell models to support TDE strategy in obesity target discovery and validation, and accelerate advancement of new drug targets into the NN pipeline
• Develop innovative in vitro assay strategies using scalable, human and disease-relevant cardio-metabolic cells to generate high-quality translatable in vitro data for obesity drug discovery.
• Function as subject matter expert for cardio-metabolic cell modeling, imaging and functional assay development and lead cross-functional, global projects and teams to support TDE target delivery goals
  • Develop and communicate a vision and engage people in that vision
  • Establish and manage project goals, timelines and deliverables for efficient go/no-go decisions
  • Mentor and coach team members to help achieve the project goals
  • Communicate strategies, progress, and challenges across the organization and to leadership
  • Promote relevant cross-organizational collaborations and ensure efficient transfer and knowledge sharing with key stakeholders and customers across global sites, including China, UK and Europe
• Build and maintain strong relationships and collaborations with external researchers o
  • Establish relevant external collaborations with academia to facilitate constant development of core technologies
  •  Develop and manage CRO relationships in support of research goals

 

Qualifications

• PhD in Biological Sciences, Cell or Molecular Biology, or related degree, with a minimum of 6 years relevant work experience,