Senior Scientist, Molecular and Cellular Bacteriology

About the role

Use Your Power for Purpose

At Pfizer, our purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that transform patients' lives. Central to this mission is our Research and Development team, dedicated to translating advanced science and innovative technologies into impactful therapies and vaccines. Whether you are engaged in discovery sciences, ensuring the safety and efficacy of drugs, or supporting clinical trials, you will leverage cutting-edge design and process development capabilities. Your efforts will accelerate the delivery of best-in-class medicines to patients globally, fulfilling Pfizer's commitment to making a meaningful difference in healthcare.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Scientist role is a laboratory-based position and best suited for an experimental scientist with deep expertise in molecular and cellular bacteriology research to support bacterial vaccine preclinical research and development. The incumbent will enable investigations of vaccine induced protective immunity primarily via a microbiological lens of clinical disease-causing isolates by generating, analyzing, and interpreting laboratory data in a highly collaborative environment.

The Senior Scientist will work closely with cross‑functional partners to ensure assay approaches are scientifically robust, fit‑for‑purpose, and aligned with program objectives, while representing the research function on multidisciplinary vaccine teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, optimize, and apply molecular and cellular assays to support bacterial vaccine discovery, development, and real‑world evidence studies
• Culture, maintain, and characterize bacterial strains that are disease-causing isolates or used for assay development
• Generate and interpret laboratory data to support identification and prioritization of vaccine target antigens
• Analyze antigen diversity and expression across disease-causing bacterial isolates to assess antigen conservation, prevalence, and potential breadth of vaccine coverage
• Drive cross-functional collaborations to generate high-quality data and integrate multidimensional datasets for informed decision-making
• Provide scientific expertise and data-driven recommendations on antigen selection and vaccine coverage to support decision-making
• Author and contribute to scientific documents, including study reports, regulatory submissions, abstracts, and peer‑reviewed manuscripts addressing isolate characterization, antigen relevance, and coverage‑related outcomes
• Provide technical mentorship and scientific guidance to junior scientists and project team members, as appropriate
• Experience using common AI tools, including generative technologies such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, to support problem solving and enhance productivity.
• Demonstrated curiosity for exploring how these tools can improve outcomes and understanding of responsible AI practices, including risk management and ethical use.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree (with 9+ years of experience, or Master’s Degree with 7+ years of experience, or a Ph.D. in a biology-related field.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with bacterial culture as well as molecular and cellular assays.
• Experience generating, analyzing, and interpreting complex biological datasets.
• Excellent written and verbal scientific communication skills with demonstrated experience authoring scientific abstracts and peer reviewed publications, and presenting posters or talks at national or international scientific conferences.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task and work efficiently and productively in a fast-paced and highly collaborative environment.
• Proficiency with personal computers including Microsoft Office and relevant scientific software.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

(Nice to have)

• Relevant industry experience in vaccine research, infectious disease, or applied biomedical research.
• Experience supporting real‑world evidence, observational, or post‑licensure studies.
• Experience with bacterial vaccine programs, including pathogens with strain or serotype diversity.

SCIENTIFIC & COLLABORATIVE CAPABILITIES

The successful candidate demonstrates scientific independence, strong collaboration skills, and the ability to influence across disciplines without formal authority. This role requires technical depth, clear scientific communication, and a commitment to high‑quality assay data generation that supports bacterial vaccine development, real‑world evidence generation, and understanding disease-causing bacterial isolates.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Working in the laboratory includes lifting items (

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