Scientist II – Endocrinology Discovery
Neurocrine Biosciences
Summary
Neurocrine Biosciences is seeking a highly motivated and talented Scientist II to join our Endocrinology Discovery team, focused on developing innovative therapeutics for obesity, metabolic disorders, and related endocrine diseases. The successful candidate will contribute to discovery programs investigating the hormonal and molecular pathways regulating energy balance, body weight, metabolism, and body composition. This hands-on laboratory position will emphasize target identification and validation, mechanistic biology, and in vitro pharmacology, utilizing cellular and molecular approaches to establish the therapeutic potential of novel targets and characterize drug candidates.
Job description
About the Role
Neurocrine Biosciences is seeking a highly motivated and talented Scientist II to join our Endocrinology Discovery team, focused on developing innovative therapeutics for obesity, metabolic disorders, and related endocrine diseases. The successful candidate will contribute to discovery programs investigating the hormonal and molecular pathways regulating energy balance, body weight, metabolism, and body composition. This hands-on laboratory position will emphasize target identification and validation, mechanistic biology, and in vitro pharmacology, utilizing cellular and molecular approaches to establish the therapeutic potential of novel targets and characterize drug candidates.
Your Contributions
- Design and execute in vitro studies to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets involved in obesity, energy homeostasis, and metabolic regulation
- Develop and optimize cellular models to investigate endocrine signaling pathways, hormone action, and mechanisms underlying metabolic disease
- Apply genetic and pharmacological approaches, including gene knockdown, knockout, and overexpression, to establish target function and validate therapeutic hypotheses
- Establish recombinant, endogenous, and physiologically relevant cellular systems, including primary cells, to investigate target biology and pharmacological activity
- Develop and execute functional assays to characterize receptor signaling, downstream cellular responses, and mechanisms of action
- Characterize the potency, efficacy, selectivity, and mechanism of action of novel therapeutic candidates, including peptides, small molecules, and biologics
- Investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating metabolic function, body weight, and lean muscle mass preservation
- Generate robust experimental data to support target prioritization, proof-of-concept studies, and advancement of endocrine and obesity discovery programs
- Analyze and interpret experimental results, troubleshoot technical challenges, and communicate findings to multidisciplinary project teams
- Collaborate with scientists in chemistry, protein engineering, in vivo pharmacology, and translational biology to advance therapeutic discovery
- Maintain accurate experimental records and contribute to scientific presentations and technical reports
Required Qualifications
- BS/BA degree in scientific field AND 4+ years of in vitro pharmacology experience
- MS/MA degree in scientific field AND 2+ years of similar experience
- PhD in biology or related field preferred AND some similar experience
- Strong background in endocrine or metabolic biology, cellular signaling, or in vitro pharmacology
- Demonstrated hands-on experience developing and executing cell-based functional assays and mechanistic biology studies
- Experience with molecular approaches to investigate target function, hormone signaling, or metabolic pathways
- Proficiency in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology techniques, and quantitative data analysis
- Ability to design and execute experiments, troubleshoot technical challenges, and critically interpret scientific data
- Strong scientific communication skills and ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology drug discovery, particularly in obesity, diabetes, or metabolic diseases
- Understanding of energy homeostasis, appetite regulation, metabolic physiology, and body composition
- Experience with endocrine hormone signaling pathways and receptor pharmacology, including GPCRs and other hormone receptors
- Hands-on experience with cellular assay technologies such as cAMP, calcium mobilization, BRET, NanoBiT, or receptor binding
- Experience with primary cells, stem cell-derived models, or other physiologically relevant cellular systems
- Familiarity with transcriptomic, proteomic, or other molecular profiling approaches to investigate target biology
- Experience with target validation using genetic perturbation approaches, including CRISPR/Cas9, siRNA, shRNA, or viral-mediated gene delivery
- Experience characterizing peptide therapeutics, small molecules, or engineered biologics
Requirements
- BS/BA degree in scientific field AND 4+ years of in vitro pharmacology experience
- MS/MA degree in scientific field AND 2+ years of similar experience
- PhD in biology or related field preferred AND some similar experience
- Strong background in endocrine or metabolic biology, cellular signaling, or in vitro pharmacology
- Demonstrated hands-on experience developing and executing cell-based functional assays and mechanistic biology studies
- Experience with molecular approaches to investigate target function, hormone signaling, or metabolic pathways
- Proficiency in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology techniques, and quantitative data analysis
- Ability to design and execute experiments, troubleshoot technical challenges, and critically interpret scientific data
- Strong scientific communication skills and ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams
Benefits
- Retirement Savings Plan
- Company Match
- Paid Vacation
- Holiday & Personal Days
- Paid Caregiver Leave
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid Medical Leave
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Prescription Drug Coverage
- Annual Bonus
- Equity Long-Term Incentive
Company overview
Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company founded in 1992 and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company specializes in discovering and developing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, neuroendocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Neurocrine's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. Their flagship product, INGREZZA (valbenazine), was the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with tardive dyskinesia. The company maintains a robust pipeline with multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across core therapeutic areas, including Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, and major depressive disorder. Neurocrine operates with a purpose to relieve suffering for people with great needs, applying unique insights into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol NBIX and has established strategic collaborations with major pharmaceutical partners including AbbVie.