Senior Scientist, Translational Biology - Rheumatology

Description

Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Senior Scientist to join the Immunology & Respiratory Translational Biology group. The successful candidate will contribute translational biology expertise to support discovery and early development programs in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), and related immune-mediated diseases.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in immunology and rheumatologic autoimmune disease biology, with demonstrated expertise in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive chronic inflammation and tissue remodeling. Particular emphasis will be placed on experience studying interactions between immune cells and stromal cells, including fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and tissue-resident mesenchymal populations.

This role will focus on developing and applying disease-relevant human translational models, generating mechanistic insights from patient-relevant systems, and evaluating mechanism-of-action-to-disease fit to support the positioning and differentiation of novel therapeutic approaches in rheumatologic diseases.

As an employee of Boehringer Ingelheim, you will actively contribute to the discovery, development and delivery of our products to our patients and customers. Our global presence provides opportunity for all employees to collaborate internationally, offering visibility and opportunity to directly contribute to the companies´ success. We realize that our strength and competitive advantage lie with our people. We support our employees in a number of ways to foster a healthy working environment, meaningful work, mobility, networking and work-life balance. Our competitive compensation and benefit programs reflect Boehringer Ingelheim´s high regard for our employees.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and interpret translational studies supporting early development programs in RA, SLE, SSc, and related autoimmune diseases.
• Develop and apply disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo experimental systems using primary human immune and stromal cells, patient-derived samples, and tissue-based systems, as appropriate.
• Investigate mechanisms of immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and tissue remodeling in rheumatologic diseases, and relate experimental findings to patient-relevant disease features.
• Establish and optimize cellular crosstalk systems involving immune cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and tissue-derived stromal populations.
• Generate and test mechanistic hypotheses that connect candidate mechanisms of action to human disease biology and help assess therapeutic positioning and differentiation.
• Analyze and interpret complex biological data and integrate findings across human experimental systems and patient-derived datasets, where available, to help inform project strategies and decision-making.
• Collaborate closely with Discovery Research, Spatial Biology, Biomarker Sciences, Experimental Medicine, and other cross-functional teams.
• Communicate scientific findings and their translational implications through presentations, technical reports, and project discussions
• Contribute to mentoring junior scientists and fostering scientific excellence within the group.
• Maintain awareness of emerging developments in rheumatology, immunology, and translational medicine.

Requirements

• Ph.D. Degree or equivalent degree, preferably in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Translational Medicine, or a related scientific discipline
• Preferably 3+ years of relevant industry experience or 3+ years of postdoctoral experience.
• Scientific background in rheumatologic disease biology, particularly RA, SLE, and/or SSc.
• Demonstrated understanding of immune-cell biology and immune-mediated mechanisms of chronic inflammation.
• Hands-on experience working with primary human cells, PBMCs, tissue-derived cells, or patient samples.
• Experience developing, optimizing, and executing disease-relevant human in vitro or ex vivo assays using primary cells, patient-derived samples, tissue-derived cells, or related translational systems.
• Ability to design and execute well-controlled experiments, analyze data rigorously, and generate mechanistic hypotheses relevant to human disease biology and mechanism-of-action-to-disease fit. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a collaborative and matrixed research environment.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.
• Must be willing to take a drug test and post-offer physical (if required).
• Must be 18 years of age or older.

Compensation Data

The base salary range for Senior Scientist is $140,800.00 to $211,200.00.  The position may be eligible for a role specific discretionary bonus, relocation, and/or other compensation elements.  We continuously review market data and may adjust salary ranges as needed in the future.  Actual compensation will be based on job-related factors such as skills, experience, and qualifications, and other factors permitted by law. For an overview of our benefits please click here.  

Desired Skills, Experience and Abilities

• Experience in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, or related autoimmune disorders.
• Expertise in stromal cell biology and tissue microenvironment studies.
• Experience working with patient-derived synovial, blood, skin, or tissue samples.
• Experience contributing mechanistic and human disease data to the assessment of mechanism-of-action-to-disease fit, therapeutic positioning, or differentiation in discovery or early development programs.
• Familiarity with single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial biology, flow cytometry, proteomics, or transcriptomics approaches, including the integration of patient-derived datasets to support assay design and mechanistic interpretation.
• Prior pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience supporting drug discovery or translational research programs.
• Scientific publication record demonstrating expertise in immunology, rheumatology, or translational biology.