AbbVie Posted September 24, 2026

Associate Scientist I/II, Discovery Neuroscience

Cambridge, MA Full-time
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Neuroscience Associate
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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 motivated cell biologist to join our Discovery Neuroscience organization. This scientist will contribute to early discovery research efforts focused on identifying and advancing novel therapeutic approaches for Parkinson’s Disease and related neurodegenerative diseases. This laboratory-based role will support in vitro data generation, cell culture-based model development, evaluation of small molecule and biologic therapeutics, and execution of proof-of-concept studies in a collaborative discovery environment. The successful candidate will work closely with scientists across discovery biology and translational functions to generate high-quality data that inform program decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Design, execute, and interpret cellular experiments to support discovery neuroscience programs.

Collaborate effectively with cross-functional project teams to support program objectives and data interpretation.

Maintain and perform routine work with primary neuronal cultures, iPSC-derived neurons and glia, recombinant cell lines, and other neuroscience-relevant in vitro models.

Support compound testing, genetic knockdown/KO and overexpression studies, assay development, and proof-of-concept studies through careful execution of experimental workflows.

Contribute to assay optimization, troubleshooting, and implementation of new or modified in vitro methods.

Generate, organize, and analyze experimental data with a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility.

Maintain detailed and compliant experimental records, observations, and study documentation.

Adhere to applicable safety, quality, and data integrity standards.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Associate Scientist I: Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline (no additional experience) in an academic, biotech, or pharmaceutical setting.

Associate Scientist II: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3 years of experience in Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline or MS (no additional experience)

Hands-on experience with high-content imaging, immunofluorescence, cell viability and reporter assays, ELISA, qPCR, and/or related cellular biology techniques.

Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment to high-quality data generation.

Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with primary neuronal culture, iPSC-derived neurons and glia, and immortalized neuronal and glial cell lines.

Exposure to compound screening, assay development, troubleshooting, high-content image analysis, and mechanism of action studies in a discovery setting.

Experience analyzing and presenting experimental data.

Knowledge of neuroscience and/or neurodegenerative disease biology.

Familiarity with statistical analysis or data visualization tools.

Core Competencies

Scientific rigor and experimental discipline

Strong attention to detail and follow-through

Curiosity, initiative, and problem-solving mindset

Collaboration and adaptability

Commitment to data quality, reproducibility, and compliance

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
Neuroscience
Location
Cambridge, MA
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 95 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 24 biopharma companies.

95Comparable roles tracked
95Currently active
24Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

24 of 95 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 – $99,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · 2027 Future Talent Program – Biophysics Intern – Intern · Merck $39,908/yr – $111,111/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor - Lab Lead – Preclinical Imaging CMR · Lilly $129,000/yr – $211,200/yr
Peer group range $75,510 – $170,100 (median $90,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 95 comparable roles

United States67
Germany5
Canada5
Belgium3
Singapore3
France3

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

95 of 95 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc64
Associate23
Manager8

Therapeutic area mix

11 of 95 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology5
Immunology3
Neuroscience2
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.

90%similar
Lilly Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Same country
90%similar
Lilly Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Same country
60%similar
Pfizer Cambridge, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Open in 2 locations

Thousand Oaks, United StatesSouth San Francisco, United States

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.

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.

90%
Postdoctoral Scientist – Neuroscience (Synuclein Biology)
Lilly · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
60%
Process Development Associate Scientist - Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist, In vivo Pharmacology, Inflammation
Amgen Inc. · South San Francisco, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist, Pharmacology (Boston, US, 02210)
Servier · Boston, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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.