FSP - Associate Scientist: Immunology

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Laboratory Setting, Some degree of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required (safety glasses, gowning, gloves, lab coat, ear plugs etc.)

Job Description

This is a fully onsite role based at our customer’s site in San Diego, CA (Carmel Valley area). 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.

As part of the Immunology Research Team, the individual will contribute to the assessment of novel therapeutic approaches to target autoimmunity and inflammation. We are seeking a highly motivated, dedicated and collaborative scientist with knowledge and expertise in cellular and molecular immunology, with experience in antibody/small molecule drug discovery. The successful candidate will work as part of a highly team-oriented and collaborative group. The focus of this position will be to support the progression of multiple drug discovery projects in the immunology space, by independently designing, performing, and validating key in vitro cell-based functional assays. The candidate will also perform experiments to understand the mechanism of action of drug candidates, and present data to cross-functional teams.

Key responsibilities:

• Designing and performing experiments to support scientific activities and project goals.
• Separation of human PBMC from whole blood, as well as the isolation of primary human leukocyte populations for downstream assays.
• Isolation of immune cells from murine organs (spleen, etc).
• Maintain cell lines and primary cell cultures.
• Perform immunological assays including lymphocyte proliferation, activation, cytokine secretion, and differentiation.
• Perform basic molecular biology assays including mRNA isolation, Taqman qPCR, NanoString.
• Flow cytometric analysis of immune cell subsets and analysis of data.
• Perform immunoassays (MSD, ELISA, etc) for analysis of soluble proteins in cell supernatants/murine plasma.
• Maintains and updates SOPs and electronic lab notebook, and writes data summaries for experiments conducted.
• Present data and findings to cross-functional project teams.
• Provides training and/or supervision to junior staff, as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in lab sciences such as Chemistry, Biochemistry, Material Science, Immunology, Biology, Molecular Biology or similar
• Assoc Scientist: Previous experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 0-2 years’)

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.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience with human PBMC isolation and cellular subset purification.
• Expertise in cell culture and aseptic technique, involving both immortalized cell lines and primary human/murine cells.
• Experience in immunoassays (ELISA, MSD, Western Blot, etc) and molecular biology techniques (mRNA isolation, qPCR).
• Experience with multicolor flow cytometric analysis, including spectral cytometry, is a plus. 
• Able to explain the process behind data generated and the implications of the results.
• Strong knowledge of one or more scientific disciplines, especially immunology.
• Strong knowledge of scientific principles, methods, and techniques, and demonstrated ability to work with a variety of laboratory equipment/tools.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and analytical thinking skills.
• Ability to work as part of a cross-functional team, and present data and concepts clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency, and experience prioritizing multiple projects is a plus. 

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.

Benefits

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!

Compensation and Benefits

The hourly pay range estimated for this position based in California is $30.00–$32.00.

This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results in accordance with company policy. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that our U.S. colleagues and their families can count on, which includes:

• A choice of national medical and dental plans, and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs

• Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement

• At least 120 hours paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays annually, paid parental leave (3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave), accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy

• Retirement and savings programs, such as our competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan

• Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount

For more information on our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.thermofisher.com/global/en/total-rewards