Postdoctoral Fellow, RNA Biology

Program Overview:

To be successful in our goals as an organization, AbbVie needs outstanding individuals willing to challenge themselves to find the best solutions for our patients. The AbbVie Postdoc Program is one way we are doing just that. AbbVie Postdoctoral Fellows serve as technical experts who investigate, identify, develop, and optimize new methods / techniques to address critical project needs. Participants continuously seek to improve existing laboratory methods and processes, read and adapt literature to accomplish assignments, and demonstrate mastery of a broad range of experimental techniques and methods of data analysis.  

The Postdoctoral Program is designed for true investigational and experimental research. Participants will be mentored by renowned industry scientists and collaborators at AbbVie and focus on delivering cutting-edge advancements in Discovery, Development Sciences, and BioPharma. This enriching training program offers a balance of structured learning and work experience which fosters a learning environment to advance individual development, and offers accessibility to high-level knowledge-building across the drug development continuum. 

We are seeking scientists from key U.S.-based academic institutions within preferred areas of science for this unique 2-3 year assignment. Participants will build a solid career foundation in the pharmaceutical industry while building the AbbVie brand as an employer of choice for scientific talent.

Role Overview:

The Postdoctoral Fellow will join an academic-style environment within Tumor Dependency (TD), one of the pillars of AbbVie’s Oncology Discovery Research (ODR) organization that aims to exploit tumor cell-intrinsic biology to develop new targeted therapies for the treatment and cure of cancer. The successful candidate will have an in-depth understanding of cancer genomics and/or RNA biology and will play a key role in expanding our capabilities to identify, validate, and leverage novel RNA biology mechanisms in cancer.

This Postdoctoral Fellowship will be based at AbbVie’s South San Francisco, CA location. While the position is principally laboratory-based, proficiency in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics will be highly valued as close collaboration with computational biologists at AbbVie’s Genomics Research Center (GRC) is expected. Above all, this position will be best suited to a highly collaborative individual who is confident and systematic in tackling complex biological questions. 

Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with computational biologists, identify novel transcriptional mechanisms and relationships in RNA biology by leveraging large-scale genomic datasets.
• Validate novel post-transcriptional mechanisms using a variety of genetic perturbations, including knockdown, knockout, knock-in, or overexpression, and molecular biology techniques.
• Generate genome-scale transcriptomic and proteomic datasets using specialized techniques.      
• Collaborate with functional and technical experts to facilitate scientific achievement.
• Maintain a high level of productivity in the laboratory setting.
• Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual project(s), as well as the overall program.
• Publish research in peer-reviewed journals and present work at scientific conferences aligned with business objectives.
• Demonstrate a high degree of responsibility in maintaining scientific standards and safe laboratory practices.

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in a relevant scientific area, such as Cancer Genomics, Molecular Biology, or Cancer Biology.
• Expertise in laboratory techniques for studying and manipulating RNA: splicing/processing, transcriptional regulation, and/or epigenetic processes.
• Hands-on experience in lentiviral production and transduction (BSL-2), stable cell line development, and gene editing (Cas9/Cas12/Cas13).
• Record of scientific initiative and creativity in research or development activities.
• Capable of independently designing and executing experiments, interpreting data, and identifying appropriate follow-up strategies.
• Excellent project management skills. Ability to multitask and work within timelines.
• Demonstrated scientific writing skills and strong verbal communication skills.
• Global mindset to thrive in a diverse culture and environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A track record of scientific achievement, including at least one first-author publication in a high-impact journal.
• Hands-on experience in specialized transcriptomic/RNA-centric sequencing methods, such as SLAM-seq, TT-seq, Ribo-seq, PRO/GRO-seq, eClip/PAR-CLIP/RIP-seq, long-read RNA sequencing, including library construction.
• Experience in the processing and analysis of diverse next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based datasets using command line tools and/or a programming language such as R or Python.
• Candidates with prior experience in alternative mRNA splicing analysis are strongly encouraged to apply.

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance.
• Learns fast, grasps the "essence," and can change course quickly where indicated.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation, and manages to reality

Equal Employment Opportunity
At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: 

The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.

The salary range for this role is (minimum: $66,000 and maximum: $125,500).

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. 

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. 

AbbVie is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community, and embracing diversity and inclusion. It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.