AstraZeneca Posted September 24, 2026

Scientist, Bioscience Immunology

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Full time
Notify me about similar jobs

AstraZeneca 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

Scientist, Bioscience Immunology

AstraZeneca is a global, science-driven biopharmaceutical company. We are dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative, meaningful medicines and healthcare solutions that enrich the lives of patients.

We are seeking a highly motivated scientist with a strong understanding of adaptive and/or innate immunity as well as key biological pathways in immune-mediated diseases (rheumatological, gastrointestinal, or dermatological). This is a lab-based position located in Cambridge, MA within AstraZeneca’s state-of-the-art laboratories where you will follow the science to help drive innovation and advance medicine to help improve patient lives.

In this role, you would be expected to demonstrate an exceptionally high level of enthusiasm for innovative scientific research leading to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. You will characterize immune pathways in health and disease, design and optimize assays, and generate data that shapes program strategy. You will predominantly work with human in vitro systems, both primary and disease tissue-derived cells; knowledge and experience with in vivo science models is a bonus. Cross-functional collaboration and strong communication skills are a must.

Accountabilities

Immunology Pathway Characterization: Define and interrogate novel immunological pathways in autoimmune diseases to drive target validation and guide therapeutic hypotheses for drug projects.

Human In Vitro and Ex Vivo Models: Design, execute, and refine studies using primary and disease tissue-derived cells to generate translational data that inform program decisions.

Assay Development and Validation: Build, optimize, and qualify robust cellular, molecular, and protein assays; establish standards and controls to ensure reproducibility and decision-grade data.

Advanced Analytics and Data Integrity: Apply rigorous experimental design and statistical thinking to critically analyze complex datasets and communicate clear, actionable conclusions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with project teams and external collaborators to align on goals, share insights, and accelerate progress; bring external science and technologies in when they create advantage.

Scientific Leadership and Publication: Lead aspects of the biology, contribute to strategy discussions, and publish high-quality research in reputable journals to advance the field and our pipeline.

Continuous Improvement in a Dynamic Environment: Navigate ambiguity with resilience; iterate quickly, learn from setbacks, and adopt inventive approaches that keep programs moving at pace.

Requirements 

Masters degree in immunology or relevant discipline with 3+ years of relevant experience or Ph.D. degree with 0+ years of post-doctoral experience

Expertise in drug discovery projects in immunology, or a closely related field of biology is preferred

Highly organized and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team to conduct a high-level research project.

Demonstrated proficiency in several of the following: primary cell culture, multi-panel flow cytometry (including both intracellular and extracellular markers), ELISA, Western blot, multiplex cytokine read-outs (MSD, AlphaLISA, Luminex, etc.)

Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to critically analyze data sets

Ability to record protocols and experiments in timely manner and maintain excellent laboratory notebook

Demonstrated ability to run collaborative efforts and utilize external resources to find the most effective solutions to drug discovery problems

Biotech or pharmaceutical experience preferred but not essential.

Why AstraZeneca

Here, curiosity meets purpose. You will join a community that pushes boundaries with the latest science and technology, values kindness alongside ambition, and learns openly from critique to get to better solutions. We bring different disciplines together around the bench, move quickly through uncertainty, and take smart risks to speed new medicines to patients worldwide. Your ideas and data will be seen, tested and acted on, giving you the platform to grow while contributing to research that delivers clear, tangible impact for society.

If you are ready to turn bold immunology into real-world medicines, step into our Waltham labs and help shape what comes next, send your CV and make your move today.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $92,252 to $138,378. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives, an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted

24-Sep-2026

Closing Date

04-Oct-2026 Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Immunology
Location
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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 458 comparable Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 61 biopharma companies.

458Comparable roles tracked
443Currently active
61Companies hiring similar roles
19Countries represented

Salary context

176 of 458 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Highest disclosed · AVP/ Head, Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics - Oncology · Merck $282,200/yr – $444,200/yr
Peer group range $0 – $363,200 (median $180,250)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 458 comparable roles

United States347
United Kingdom16
India15
Canada12
Germany10
Switzerland10

+ 13 more countries

Seniority mix

365 of 458 peers have a known seniority level

Senior104
Principal80
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc64
Director39
Associate24
Associate Director23
Senior Director15
Manager8
Executive/VP8

Therapeutic area mix

59 of 458 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology25
Immunology10
Neuroscience7
Cardiovascular / CVRM6
Vaccines & Infectious Disease3
Respiratory3
Rare Disease3
Gastroenterology1
Ophthalmology1

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.

80%similar
Lilly San Diego, California, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Seattle, United States Principal
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Merck San Diego, California, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Merck Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Merck San Diego, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same therapeutic area 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.

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.

80%
Post-Doctoral Scientist- Immunology Discovery
Lilly · San Diego, California, United States of America · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Biologist in Immunology Discovery Research
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Executive Director, Immunology Discovery
Merck · San Diego, California, United States of America · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
65%
Principal Associate, Immunology Discovery
Roche · Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland · Principal
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.