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Senior Scientist, Tumor Biology

Employer
Pfizer
Location
La Jolla, California
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Oct 21, 2021

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Discipline
Life Sciences, Biology, Physical Sciences, Chemistry
Position Type
Full Time
Job Type
Senior Scientist
Organization Type
All Industry, Pharma
ROLE SUMMARY

Pfizer's Oncology Research Unit (ORU) in La Jolla, California, is seeking a Senior Scientist (PhD) focused on translating basic discoveries in the field of tumor biology into novel therapeutics.

The Senior Scientist will lead translational development efforts supporting drug programs currently in clinical development and/or advanced pre-clinical drug discovery stages including the advancement of new targets. Our ideal candidate will have strong translational research experience with hands-on expertise in conducting drug mechanism of action studies, elucidation of drug resistance mechanisms, understanding the drug impact on the tumor microenvironment, and development of rational drug combination strategies.

The candidate will lead biological translational studies utilizing genetic and pharmacological approaches to understand MOA and generate patient stratification strategies for novel cancer therapeutics. As a member of the group, the candidate will work together with a team of motivated and scientifically rigorous scientists to perform laboratory-based research in a collaborative team environment, interpret and present findings at team/project meetings and function as an integral member of the team to advance drug programs.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Design, execute and analyze/interpret experiments to advance mechanism of action studies, develop patient responder hypotheses, elucidate mechanisms of resistance, understand impact on the tumor microenvironment, and identify rational drug combinations that can be translated to the clinic
  • Develop and apply complex in vitro cell-based assays for conducting synthetic-lethal, drug combination screens to identify rational combinations and patient selection biomarkers
  • Work collaboratively with computational biology group to integrate complex data sets including 'omic' data in pre-clinical settings to advance mechanism of action target biology
  • Collaborate with in vivo pharmacology group for efficacy testing, PK/PD and experimental design of preclinical PoC experiments and develop cell assays to measure pharmacodynamic changes, kinetics of drug response and evaluation of predictive biomarkers
  • Interface with discovery biology, systems biology and computational biology groups to design, develop, and interpret datasets developed from genetic and pharmacological screens
  • Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual project(s) as well as the overall program
  • Present research results and methodologies at weekly meetings with immediate supervisor and/or project leader, project team meetings and other research forums
  • Contribute to building a culture that embraces scientific excellence, urgency, partnerships with key stakeholders, continuous learning and improvement, increasing technical skill base and cancer biology expertise; take a proactive role in personal growth and scientific development.


BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Training & Education:
  • PhD in Molecular or Cellular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology (or a comparable biological science) with additional postdoctoral training preferred plus 0-2 years' minimum relevant experience.
  • Significant experience designing, conducting and analyzing functional genetic and/or cancer drug combination studies
  • Preference for candidates with a strong track record in cancer drug discovery/translational research and the development of small-molecule inhibitors and/or PROTACs.
  • Candidates with a strong foundational knowledge in cancer biology and expertise in cell cycle regulation that may include but not limited to E3 ligases and proteolytic control and/or phosphatase regulation of cell cycle progression and cell division
  • Experience in use of CRISPR-based techniques for gene knockout, gene editing and as well as working knowledge of pooled CRISPR -based screening approaches
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively interact and communicate in multidisciplinary project teams, including strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills
  • Excellent organization and planning skills, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment independently and as part of a team, and strong motivation with a dedicated work ethic


PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Technical expertise in computational imaging and single cell tracking approaches to study cell cycle progression is preferred but not required
  • Expertise in 3D spheroid or other in vitro assays that mimic the human tumor microenvironment (e.g. immune cell-based functional assays) is a plus
  • Demonstrate proficiency in the use of software tools to support data analysis; computational programming skills such as R script is a plus


Other Job Details

Eligible for Relocation Package

Eligible for Employee Referral Bonus



Pfizer requires all U.S. new hires to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the first date of employment. As required by applicable law, Pfizer will consider requests for Reasonable Accommodations.

Sunshine Act

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider's name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.

Research and Development

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