Principal Scientist Structural Biology

Principal Scientist Structural Biology

Merck Group

Darmstadt, Germany

Your Role

As a Principal Scientist in the Structural Biology and Biophysics team, R&D Discovery, you will provide scientific leadership in interdisciplinary projects to elucidate structural mode of action and enable structure-based design with a focus on macromolecular complexes of antibodies, multispecifics and molecular degraders. You will strengthen our X-ray crystallography capabilities and, where possible complement our cryo-EM workflows to establish integrated, end-to-end experimental strategies for structural enablement - spanning protein and sample generation, data acquisition, and structural model building. You coordinate CRO/collaboration partner activities for reagents and data generation and drive innovations in structural biology. You clearly explain and communicate scientific findings and proposals to cross-functional teams and stakeholders to support informed and fast decision-making. You will mentor and develop junior scientists in structure biology and drug discovery contributing to a high-performing, collaborative culture.

Who You Are

• PhD in Structural Biology or a related field with 10+ years of relevant experience (including biopharma, biotech) and strong track record to design, execute and drive complex structural biology projects;
• Deep expertise in high-resolution structure determination of proteins and protein complexes by Xray crystallography (sample generation, data collection & processing, structure refinement with industry-standard software);
• Experience working with antigen–antibody and protein degrader complexes, with a deep understanding of structure–function relationships;
• Ideally hands-on with single-particle cryo-EM and biophysical (e.g. HDX-MS, SAXS; Refeyn, FIDA, DSF);
• Experience with cloud-based/HPC data management and processing; LINUX scripting; AI/ML-based prediction of biomolecular structures;
• Effective collaborator and leader in multidisciplinary settings with excellent English communication; skilled in guiding/mentoring scientists, coordinating multi-site work, and managing CROs to balance project demands;
• Proven ability to convey complex data clearly to drive decisions; strong publication history or impactful drug discovery contributions (oncology/immunology/neuroscience favored); excellent problem-solving abilities and experience introducing relevant new technologies.