AbbVie Neuroscience has the mission to develop therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. AbbVie is already committed to help patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease through our symptomatic treatment options. The next frontier for us is to discover and develop disease modifying treatments for Parkinson’s disease patients, addressing the underlying causes of disease. We are now expanding our operations at the Foundational Neuroscience Center located in Cambridge MA which is a highly vibrant research hub with state-of-the-art research facilities, deeply embedded in the global discovery operations of AbbVie Neuroscience.

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Research Scientist with extensive expertise in Parkinson’s disease and a background in cellular/ molecular biology to join the Parkinson’s Disease discovery team. As a key member of our team, you will drive actively the target identification and design in vitro models of PD and use them to validate novel drug discovery targets, and to identify and characterize drug leads and candidates.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Actively drive the selection and discovery of novel targets for Parkinson’s disease
• Establish strong scientific and technical initiatives and hands-on implementation for new target identification and validation
• Advance science from the bench by crafting and executing in vitro experiments to validate novel targets using relevant cell lines, primary neurons and/or iPSC-derived neurons
• Build and execute biochemical and cell-based assays to support novel PD target discovery & validation
• Execute projects through experimental designs, critical analysis and interpretation of results and communication of results promptly
• Collaborate with cellular and molecular biologists, in vivo pharmacologists, geneticists and medicinal chemists across global research sites
• Present research at internal and external meetings, and publish in peer-reviewed journals
• May supervise one or more direct reports and proactively engage in their development

Qualifications:

• Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in Neuroscience or closely related field with typically 14+ (BS), 12+ (MS) or 6+ (PhD) years of experience; Pharmaceutical industry experience preferred
• Experience in Parkinson’s disease pathobiology and/or drug discovery
• Experience in lysosomal and/or mitochondrial and/or autophagy biology preferred
• Proficiency with standard cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, enzymology and neuroscience techniques including gene transfer methods, microscopy and high-content imaging, protein detection & quantification (such as ELISA, MSD, plate readers), and enzyme kinetic assays
• Expertise with culturing primary neurons and iPSC-derived neurons and their genetic or pharmacological manipulation
• Extensive bench research experience and enjoy a central role in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary team
• Ability to design, execute and interpret experiments independently, and to advance scientific understanding
• Excellent written and verbal communication; Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Strong organizational skills that enable multitasking and working within timelines

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer including disability/vets. It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, Armed Forces service medal veteran or active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran or a person’s relationship or association with a protected veteran, including spouses and other family members, or any other protected group status. We will take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified minorities, women, individuals with a disability, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, Armed Forces service medal veterans or active-duty wartime or campaign badge veterans. The Affirmative Action Plan is available for viewing in the Human Resources office during regular business hours.