Senior Scientist I, siRNA in vitro Biology

About the role

AbbVie is seeking a Senior Scientist I with deep, hands-on expertise in siRNA therapeutic discovery to join the siRNA group within Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine (BGM).

Responsibilities

• Independently lead in vitro siRNA discovery biology, including experimental strategy, assay design, execution, data analysis, and interpretation in support of active therapeutic programs.
• Design, optimize, and validate fit-for-purpose assays that directly inform siRNA potency, durability, specificity, and mechanism-of-action.
• Drive scientific decision making by integrating siRNA knockdown data with orthogonal readouts (protein, functional, and transcriptomic endpoints).
• Identify and resolve key biological and technical risks related to siRNA activity, delivery, and on-target effects.
• Work with cross-functional partners (chemistry, delivery, bioinformatics, in vivo biology) to advance siRNA candidates through discovery milestones.
• Maintain high experimental rigor and productivity while operating with minimal supervision.
• Author internal technical reports and contribute as a primary author on publications and/or inventor on patents.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related field with typically 10+ years (BS), 8+ years (MS), or 0-3 years (PhD) of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated, hands-on experience in siRNA therapeutic discovery is required, including ownership of in vitro siRNA studies that informed go/no-go, lead selection, or optimization decisions.
• Extensive experience with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology techniques directly supporting siRNA programs, including RNA isolation, qPCR, ELISA, Western blot, and nucleic acid sequencing (NGS/Sanger).
• Proven ability to independently troubleshoot siRNA-specific challenges (e.g., variability in knockdown, assay sensitivity limits, off-target interpretation).
• Strong data analysis and critical thinking skills, with a track record of translating complex datasets into clear experimental and programmatic recommendations.

Desired Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with stem-loop RT-qPCR, including assay design, optimization, validation, and data interpretation for siRNA and target mRNA quantification.
• Direct experience supporting antibody-based or antibody-enabled delivery strategies, including antibody conjugates or biologics-related development.
• Hands-on experience analyzing RNA-seq data generated from siRNA perturbation studies, including differential expression analysis and biological interpretation.
• Experience with siRNA sequence design and optimization, including target site selection and evaluation of structure-activity relationships.
• Familiarity with CNS-relevant biology and genetic medicine applications.
• Working knowledge of bioinformatics tools or scripting (e.g., R, Python) to interrogate high-dimensional RNA datasets.