Job posting: chemical biology research associate, Merck, Cambridge, MA

Via a random clicking around, a BS/MS chemical biology position (MS, 5 years experience preferred):

The Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) Exploratory Science Center (ESC) Cambridge, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck and Co., is focused on driving early discovery research. Co-located with Merck’s Cambridge Innovation Hub, the ESC’s disease-area-agnostic research agenda fosters hands-on collaboration between our scientists and external academic and biotech researchers to access and explore the most promising emerging science.  

We are seeking an innovative and experienced chemical biologist to join the Merck Exploratory Science Center (ESC) in Cambridge, MA. 

The successful candidate will become part of a creative and fast-paced team that will discover novel therapeutics targeting one of two (2) initial areas:

• Interaction of the microbiome and host with the ultimate goal of delivering novel therapeutics to address significant unmet medical need in multiple therapeutic areas
• Novel prophylactic or therapeutic interventions to address significant unmet medical need in infectious disease.
• This is an excellent opportunity for someone seeking scientific and career growth in a multidisciplinary area of drug discovery.

Education / Work Experience Requirements:

• B.S. with (4) years experience in Chemical Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Cell and Molecular, Biomedical Sciences or related discipline
• M.S. with (2) years experience in Chemical Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Cell and Molecular, Biomedical Sciences or related discipline

Full listing here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Interestingly, I think it's fascinating that I feel like I'm seeing more routine chemical biology positions. I would estimate very broadly that I saw 10-20 Big Pharma positions in the last 12 months, and perhaps more. Will be interesting to see if this grows more significantly over time; I would guess there would be another 10-20 industrial positions this year, but I'm not positive. Previous speculation on this blog here and here.