Associate Research Scientist

Associate Research Scientist

This is a fully onsite role based at our customer's site in Collegeville, PA. We welcome applicants from all locations within the US. Please note that relocation assistance is not provided for this position, and any relocation costs will be the responsibility of the candidate.

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, which includes a drug screening.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, you'll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life - enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while taking science a step beyond through research, development and delivery of life-changing therapies. With clinical trials conducted in 100+ countries and ongoing development of novel frameworks for clinical research through our PPD clinical research portfolio, our work spans laboratory, digital and decentralized clinical trial services. Your determination to deliver quality and accuracy will improve health outcomes that people and communities depend on – now and in the future.

Thermo Fisher's clinical research business is a leading global contract research organization and world leader in serving science. We are passionate, deliberate, and driven by our mission – to enable our customers to make the world healthier, safer, and cleaner.

Our Laboratories Functional Service Partnership (FSP) team plays a direct role in advancing drug development by creating sustained groups of talent within our customers' organizations to provide long-term support. Through this collaborative approach, our professionals bring their commitment to excellence, industry knowledge, and operational strength directly into customer environments, helping to enhance capabilities and advance the delivery of life-changing therapies.

Key responsibilities:

We are seeking a highly motivated Cellular & Molecular Biologist to join our Target Validation department within Target Discovery. The team provides critical scientific support for cell line engineering and target validation across a diverse portfolio of discovery programs, spanning CRISPR-based gene editing, cell culture, molecular biology, assay execution, and data analysis.

Reporting to a laboratory supervisor, you will design and execute key experiments that generate the reagents and data underpinning program decisions. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to multiple programs across a range of disease areas and to grow your scientific impact in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently plan, execute, analyse, and deliver genome-edited cell reagents to multiple cross-functional project teams.
• Engineer cell lines, primary cells, iPSCs, and iPSC-derived cells to build translationally relevant cellular models for assay development.
• Proactively identify, develop, and adopt new technologies and editing strategies to improve workflow efficiency and capability.
• Contribute scientific insight to program strategy and planning within multiple matrix teams, supporting data-driven decision-making that advances drug discovery.
• Ensure full compliance with all GSK R&D data integrity practices, ethics codes, standards, and safety training and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong practical knowledge of cell biology, together with expertise in one or more of the following:
• Advanced cell culture, including cell lines, primary cells, co-culture and other complex cellular models, and iPSCs.
• Building advanced, translational cellular models and assays in combination with genome editing to support drug discovery.
• Working knowledge of genetics, target validation, compound screening, and assay development.
• A track record (through documented experience or publications) of technology development in genome editing or related emerging fields.
• Functional genomics techniques, including sequencing (Sanger, Nanopore, PacBio, Illumina), genotyping, primer/probe design, qRT-PCR, and ddPCR, and proficiency with SnapGene, Benchling, or equivalent software. Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams effectively to drive decision-making.
• Programming and bioinformatics skills for sequencing data analysis.
• Broad scientific understanding across multiple therapeutic areas, such as oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, and neurology.
• Ability to manage and prioritise multiple concurrent tasks and evaluate competing scientific strategies in parallel.
• Demonstrated high-performance behaviours, including relationship-building, flexible thinking, and enabling and driving change.
• Education and Experience:
• Previous experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 4+ years') OR Masters degree and previous experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 2+ years') OR PhD

In some cases, an equivalency, consisting of a combination of appropriate education, training and/or directly related experience, will be considered sufficient for an individual to meet the requirements of the role.

Working Environment:

Below is listed the working environment/requirements for this role:

• Able to communicate, receive, and understand information and ideas with diverse groups of people in a comprehensible and reasonable manner.
• Able to work upright and stationary and/or standing for typical working hours.
• Able to lift and move objects up to 25 pounds
• Able to work in non-traditional work environments.
• Able to use and learn standard office equipment and technology with proficiency.
• May have exposure to potentially hazardous elements, including infectious agents, typically found in healthcare or laboratory environments.
• Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing and handling multiple projects or activities.

We offer competitive remuneration, annual incentive plan bonus, healthcare, and a range of employee benefits. Thermo Fisher Scientific offers employment with an innovative, forward-thinking organization, and outstanding career and development prospects. We offer an exciting company culture that stands for integrity, intensity, involvement, and innovation!