Principal Scientist, Biocatalysis

We need to output HTML fragment with sections: About the role? Actually the job description includes a paragraph about the group. Could be "About the role" or "About the team". The instruction: use

for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). Use

• for any list of duties/requirements/benefits, and

  for prose. Do NOT repeat the job title as a heading (the page already shows it) and do NOT put Job ID / requisition numbers as headings — fold minor metadata into a short

  or drop it. Preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. Remove cookie/navigation/legal/EEO/equal-opportunity/scam-warning boilerplate, duplicated lines, and application instructions. IMPORTANT: include a section ONLY when the posting has real, specific content for it — never emit a heading followed by filler/placeholder text (e.g. "commensurate with experience", "not specified", "N/A", "varies", "TBD") and never create Pay/Schedule/Benefits sections unless the posting actually states them. Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones. Output ONLY the HTML fragment — no /, no markdown code fences. Thus we need to extract substantive content: The job description includes: - Intro paragraph about group and role. - Job Responsibilities paragraph and bullet list (starting with "Responsibilities include:" then bullet list). - Education Requirements paragraph. - Required Experience And Skills (list). - Preferred Experience And Skills (list). - Required Skills (list of many items). - Preferred Skills (list: "Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE US And Puerto Rico Residents Only" etc. Actually that part is not skills but application instructions; we need to remove application instructions. So we should not include that. Also "Our company is committed to inclusion..." is EEO boilerplate; remove. "As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer..." remove. "We are proud to be a company..." remove. "Learn more about your rights..." remove. "The salary range for this role is $173,200.00 - $272,600.00" -> Pay section. "This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting." That's part of pay description; we can include in Pay section. "An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs." Also part of Pay. "The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable." Could be part of Pay or Benefits? It's compensation; could be Pay. "We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits." -> Benefits section. - "You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee)." -> application instruction; remove. - "The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting." -> maybe minor metadata; could be omitted. - "San Francisco Residents Only: ..." -> legal; remove. - "Los Angeles Residents Only: ..." -> remove. - "Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully ..." -> remove. - "Employee Status Regular Relocation: Domestic VISA Sponsorship No Travel Requirements 10% Flexible Work Arrangements Not Applicable Shift Not Indicated Valid Driving License No Hazardous Material(s) n/a Job Posting End Date 10/2/2026 A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date. Requisition ID:R417173" -> metadata; we can fold minor metadata into a short

  or drop it. Probably drop. Thus sections: About the role (intro paragraph), Responsibilities (with bullet list), Requirements (maybe combine Education Requirements and Required Experience And Skills? Could have separate sections: Education, Experience & Skills). But we need to prefer few substantive sections over many thin ones. Could combine Education Requirements and Required Experience And Skills into a "Requirements" section. Then "Preferred Experience And Skills" could be "Preferred Qualifications". Then "Required Skills" and "Preferred Skills" could be "Skills" maybe separate required and preferred? Could combine required skills list and preferred skills list into Skills section with subheadings? But we only allowed

  headings; we could have multiple

  sections: Responsibilities, Requirements, Preferred Qualifications, Skills, Pay, Benefits. That's many sections but each substantive. However instruction: Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones. Could combine Requirements and Preferred Qualifications into one Requirements section with sub-bullets? But we need to preserve all info; we can include both required and preferred as separate lists under same heading maybe with labels. But we need to use

  • for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. Could have a
    for required experience and skills, and another
    for preferred experience and skills. That's okay under same heading. Similarly for skills: Required Skills list and Preferred Skills list could be under Skills heading with two lists. Thus sections: About the role (intro paragraph), Responsibilities, Requirements (education + required experience/skills + preferred experience/skills), Skills (required skills + preferred skills), Pay, Benefits. Check if any other substantive content: maybe "Job Responsibilities" paragraph before bullet list; we can include that as prose then bullet list. Now we need to strip out boilerplate and duplicated lines. Ensure we don't include any application instructions, EEO, legal, etc. Now produce HTML fragment:

    About the role

    The Biocatalysis group within the Small Molecule Process Research & Development (SMPR&D) Department in Rahway, New Jersey is seeking a Principal Scientist to expand and deepen our capabilities for data science, data-rich experimentation, and laboratory automation technologies to invent, develop, and implement valuable biocatalytic processes across the pipeline. Our group creates biocatalysts with novel functions that enable efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes for our Company's portfolio. Our interdisciplinary team integrates biosynthetic logic, mechanistic investigation, data-rich experimentation, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, fermentation science, and advanced automation to drive innovation in drug discovery and development. The group collaborates broadly within our Company, with academic leaders, and with industry partners to grow and accelerate the impact of biocatalysis and protein engineering on human health.

    Responsibilities

    The Principal Scientist will provide scientific leadership, influence strategy, and collaborate with cross-functional teams of chemists, biologists, computer scientists, and engineers across the organization, including Process Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, DSCS Digital Technologies, and Information Technology. This role will focus both on developing enzymes and biocatalytic processes for small-molecule synthesis and implementing digital and laboratory automation technologies to accelerate enzyme engineering.

    • Apply expertise in data science, automation, process development, and protein engineering to solve complex biocatalysis challenges.
    • Lead development and implementation of digital tools and workflows for data ingestion, standardization, QC, visualization, and analysis.
    • Integrate digital platforms and drive adoption of tools that connect experiments to scalable computational workflows and data-driven decisions.
    • Drive the development of AI/ML and LLM-based approaches for experimental design, data mining, and longitudinal analysis.
    • Lead the design and scaling of high-throughput automation for enzyme engineering, including biochemical assay setup and screening and process development.
    • Partner with internal teams (DDT, IT) to implement digital and automation solutions that accelerate biocatalyst discovery and engineering.
    • Provide technical leadership, communicate results, mentor scientists, and evaluate emerging technologies.

    Requirements

    Education Requirements: Ph.D., M.S, or B.S. degree in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biophysics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, or a related field with a minimum of 7 (Ph.D.), 10 (M.S.), or 12 (B.S.) years of relevant industry experience.

    Required Experience And Skills:

    • Demonstrated experience in biocatalytic process development.
    • Demonstrated experience in enzyme engineering using directed evolution.
    • Experience using Benchling for scientific data capture and workflow support.
    • Experience with laboratory automation, high-throughput experimentation, and liquid-handling platforms such as Biomek, Firefly, Dragonfly, and Mantis.
    • Proficiency in coding, including Python and SQL.
    • Experience identifying and implementing digital and automation technologies that improve experimental workflows, data capture, and decision-making (data science).
    • Proven ability to lead and collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
    • Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop scientific talent.
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
    • Strong organizational and project management skills.
    • Track record of peer-reviewed publications, presentations, or other scientific contributions.

    Preferred Experience And Skills:

    • Familiarity with the integration of automation, informatics, and data infrastructure in a research or development environment.
    • Experience applying machine learning to protein engineering or enzyme design.
    • Experience with biochemical, biophysical, and/or phenotypic characterization of proteins.
    • Familiarity with the drug development process, particularly the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) function.
    • Experience working in a matrixed organization and partnering effectively across scientific and technical functions.

    Skills

    Required Skills:

    • Biochemistry
    • Bioconjugation
    • Biological Engineering
    • Biomolecular Chemistry
    • Computational Chemistry
    • Computational Methods
    • Data Analysis
    • Drug Development
    • Enzymatic Activity Assays
    • Enzyme Kinetics
    • Enzymology
    • High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE)
    • Organic Synthesis
    • Protein Characterization
    • Protein Chemistry
    • Research Proposal Development
    • Scientific Literature Search
    • Small Molecules
    • Structure Based Drug Design
    • Synthetic Chemistry

    Preferred Skills:

    • Current Employees apply HERE
    • Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
    • US And Puerto Rico Residents Only
    But the "Preferred Skills" list actually contains application instructions and residency restrictions, not skills. Those should be removed as boilerplate/application instructions. The actual preferred skills list from the posting: after "Preferred Skills" there is "Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE US And Puerto Rico Residents Only". That's not skills; it's application instructions. So we should not include that as a Preferred Skills list. Actually there is no explicit "Preferred Skills" list beyond that. The posting had "Required Skills" list and then "Preferred Skills" line with those application instructions. So we should omit the Preferred Skills section entirely because it's not real skills