AbbVie Posted November 2, 2026

Associate, Scientist I/II, Cellular Biology

North Chicago, IL Full-time
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AbbVie is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Company Description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at  www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on  LinkedIn,   Facebook ,  Instagram ,  X  and  YouTube.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly engaged scientist willing to develop and enhance current skills in cell culture and complex in vitro model development. The position, as part of the Investigative Toxicology and Pathology group, is a key interface between internal stakeholders across AbbVie (Discovery, Development Sciences, and Preclinical Toxicology). Using strong scientific and organizational skills, and use cell culture and molecular biology techniques, the successful candidate is expected to impact risk assessment for novel therapeutics in the early development pipeline.

Responsibilities: 

Conduct in vitro, cell culture-based studies by supporting development and conduct of in vitro cell culture studies, the successful candidate will contribute to risk assessment for novel therapeutics in the early development pipeline

Develop Utilize and build both simple and complex in vitro models (spheroids and organoids) across a diverse range of cell and tissue types

Run endpoints such as western blot, ELISA, cell viability assessments and immunofluorescent imaging to screen compounds and evaluate mechanisms driving toxicity

Independently generate reliable and reproducible data in a timely manner. Demonstrate experimental precision and strong data interpretation skills

Exhibit excellent communication skills in a diverse and cross-functional environment

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education in biology or related field (Associate I) and 3-5 years of experience or Master’s degree or equivalent education in biology or related field with no experience required (Associate II)

Hands-on one year of experience within cell culture and in vitro model development and/or maintenance

Ability to work and contribute within a team

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Strong critical thinking skills and ability to troubleshoot

Fast learner, able to generate and analyze data with little supervision

Proficient with Microsoft excel and Graphpad prism for data analysis

Preferred: 

Proven record of experience working collaboratively to make scientific contributions to the scientific community

Knowledge and familiarity with cellular biology

Experience with microscopy, ELISA, protein quantification

Additional Information

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. ​

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 an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit  https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
North Chicago, IL
Employment type
Full-time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 156 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 39 biopharma companies.

156Comparable roles tracked
149Currently active
39Companies hiring similar roles
15Countries represented

Salary context

55 of 156 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $58,656/yr – $110,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Lab Associate Flow Cytometry · IQVIA $34,700/yr – $72,300/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor, Bio Sample Operations - DMPK · Lilly $153,000/yr – $268,400/yr
Peer group range $53,500 – $210,700 (median $90,200)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 156 comparable roles

United States105
France16
Germany9
United Kingdom6
Canada4
Switzerland3

+ 9 more countries

Seniority mix

156 of 156 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc73
Associate58
Manager25

Therapeutic area mix

24 of 156 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology9
Oncology9
Neuroscience5
Cardiovascular / CVRM1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. Cambridge, United States Associate
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60%similar
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60%similar
Lilly Pasadena, California, United States of America Associate
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60%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Tarrytown, United States Associate
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60%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.