WHY PATIENTS NEED YOU

Pfizer’s purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Research and Development is at the heart of fulfilling Pfizer’s purpose as we work to translate advanced science and technologies into the therapies and vaccines that matter most. Whether you are in the discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy or supporting clinical trials, you will apply cutting edge design and process development capabilities to accelerate and bring the best-in-class medicines to patients around the world.

ROLE SUMMARY

We have an exciting postdoctoral fellow opportunity to join Pfizer’s Inflammation and Immunology Research Unit located in the heart of Cambridge’s biomedical research hub. The position is with the new Leukocyte Tissue Interface group whose mission is to share immunology expertise across Pfizer’s various research units. The postdoctoral fellow will embark on a research project exploring neuro-immune regulatory circuits in the intestine and link novel findings back to human diseases such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease.The intestinal tract is one of the most highly innervated organs in the human body, and recent advances have suggested that dysfunction in the gut-brain axis is implicated in a wide-range of neurological, metabolic, and inflammatory conditions. This is a unique opportunity to be trained at the interface of intestine-brain axis, work collaboratively with diverse research teams within Pfizer, and publish their work in high-impact journals.This position also presents an opportunity for well-trained neuroimmunologists and/or immunologists who are also interested and passionate about receiving training in drug development.Your scientific research will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in a dynamic pharmaceutical industry environment, to work with, learn from, and to influence fellow scientists.The postdoc will gain experience in gut-brain sensory transduction biology, cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing-based cell profiling and in vivo inflammatory bowel disease modeling. The ideal candidate should have solid training in neuro-immunology and good understanding of RNA sequencing techniques.You will be expected to deliver the results of your novel research internally via various working groups, via external conferences and through publications in quality scientific journals.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Demonstrate deep scientific and technical expertise harnessed to advance our understanding of IBD, produce high-impact publications, present at conferences, and ultimately contribute to the delivery of novel, life-changing therapies for patients.
• Contribute intellectually and at the bench to the project conception, design and execution.
• Generate, organize, analyze, interpret data and communicate back to mentor. Identify areas where key knowledge is lacking. Proactively seek new scientific leads via systems immunology, literature, conferences, and key opinion leaders with the goal of refining scientific hypothesis and expediting experimental plans.
• Be a proactive problem solver. Identifying roadblocks and propose innovative ways to provide solutions.
• Effectively communicate results at internal and external events and proactively contribute to the continued scientific growth at Pfizer.
• Contribute to a culture that embraces scientific excellence, effectiveness, and team-work.
• Exercise and build basic team effectiveness skills {e.g., commitment, feedback, consensus management) within context of immediate work group.
• Collaborate and develop deep partnerships with Pfizer’s Next-Generation Sequencing Technology Center.
• Ensure all tasks and responsibilities are carried out according to scientific and ethical standards.
• Present the research work at various internal and external meetings and publish in high-impact journals.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Recent Ph.D., M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience and/or immunology
• 1-2 first-author publications (published or manuscripts submitted for publication) in high-quality specialty or general readership journals
• Experience in animal handling and tissue harvesting, dissociation and cell isolation.
• In vitro culture of primary cells and cell lines.
• Demonstrated experience in diverse molecular and biochemical laboratory techniques applied to cell characterization at molecular or genetic levels (immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, qPCR, RNA sequencing)
• Demonstrated proficiency in basic cell and molecular biology techniques including some of the following: Flow cytometry, ELISA/MSD, RNA/protein isolation from cells & tissues, qRT-PCR, Western blot.
• Basic understanding of statistics and computational biology
• Well organized, self-motivated, team oriented, ability to multitask with attention to detail

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience isolating and culturing primary human immune cells in vitro
• Experience isolating and establishing complex culture/co-culture systems of primary cells including epithelial, immune, and neuronal culture.
• Experience with disease relevant mouse models of IBD
• Experience with bulk or single-cell RNA-seq data analysis
• Proficient in computational analysis and coding pipelines (R Studio, Python, etc.)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Self-directed with ability to work independently

OTHER JOB DETAILS

Eligible for Relocation Assistance

Must have Work Authorization in the US

PFIZER REQUIRES ALL U.S. NEW HIRES TO BE FULLY VACCINATED FOR COVID-19 PRIOR TO THE FIRST DATE OF EMPLOYMENT. AS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PFIZER WILL CONSIDER REQUESTS FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS.

SUNSHINE ACT

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.

Pfizer Inc. is a research-based, global biopharmaceutical company. We apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives through the discovery, development and manufacture of medicines, vaccines, medical devices and consumer healthcare products.