AbbVie Posted October 27, 2026

Scientist I, Cell and Molecular Biologist Oncology Discovery

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

AbbVie Oncology Discovery seeks a highly motivated, skilled biologist with expertise in Oncology or Immuno-Oncology. The successful candidate will play a key role in discovering novel cancer-targeting strategies and developing technology platforms that enable biologics-based anti-cancer drugs, with the aim of generating future clinical programs. Working in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment, the Scientist I will collaborate with diverse experts both within and beyond their own scientific discipline.

Key Responsibilities:

Serve as a key source of technical expertise and laboratory techniques

Explore and develop new methods, techniques, and in vitro cellular and biochemical assays for use in oncology discovery programs

Design, conduct, and interpret controlled experiments to investigate the biology and mechanisms of action of biologics-based therapeutics ( e.g. , antibodies, multi-specifics, antibody-drug conjugates)

Rigorously analyze, interpret, and troubleshoot data; document results accurately and communicate them promptly

Stay closely aligned with project goals and adjust experimental plans as needed; complete studies on schedule to support milestone decisions

Contribute and collaborate as a key member of a matrixed team, under the guidance of a senior research scientist

Qualifications

Required:

Bachelor’s degree with typically five years of experience, or Master’s degree with typically two years of experience, in Cell/Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, or a related field

Extensive hands-on laboratory research experience and a commitment to a lab-based role that demands rigorous, high-quality experimentation

Broad expertise in standard biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and immunology techniques ( e.g. , mammalian cell culture, cell-based and biochemical assays, flow cytometry)

Able to contribute independently within a team while actively collaborating with partners

Demonstrated strength in verbal and written communication

Strong organizational skills and experience using data analysis software ( e.g. , Microsoft Excel, FlowJo, GraphPad Prism)

Preferred:

Prior experience in profiling immune cell composition, phenotypes, and functional status within the tumor microenvironment in mouse models

Proficient in culturing primary immune cells ( e.g. , macrophages, T cells) and conducting in vitro functional immunoassays

Strong skills in multi-color flow cytometry

Previous experience in biologics or biologic-based drugs, either in an academic or industrial setting

Working knowledge of bioinformatics databases and tools

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 the 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

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
Not listed
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Oncology
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 887 comparable Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 85 biopharma companies.

887Comparable roles tracked
848Currently active
85Companies hiring similar roles
31Countries represented

Salary context

360 of 887 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 $75,000/yr – $142,500/yr
Highest disclosed · Vice President, Therapeutics Immunology · ModernaTX, Inc. $272,200/yr – $490,100/yr
Peer group range $0 – $381,150 (median $159,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 887 comparable roles

United States607
China43
Germany37
Switzerland34
United Kingdom30
France27

+ 25 more countries

Seniority mix

650 of 887 peers have a known seniority level

Senior210
Principal152
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc73
Director62
Associate59
Associate Director28
Senior Director28
Manager25
Executive/VP13

Therapeutic area mix

119 of 887 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology47
Oncology40
Neuroscience17
Cardiovascular / CVRM9
Respiratory2
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2
Rare Disease1
Dermatology & Aesthetics1

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
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Associate Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Celgene - Summit (Corp) Seattle 400 Dexter, United States Principal
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
GlaxoSmithKline LLC Waltham, United States Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Home-Based, United States Senior Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
GlaxoSmithKline LLC Waltham, United States Executive/VP
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Merck South San Francisco, California, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
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.

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.

80%
Associate Director, ADC platform in Oncology Drug Discovery
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Senior Director, Oncology Pharmacology
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · Home-Based, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
2027 Future Talent Program - Discovery Oncology – Co-op (South San Francisco, CA)
Merck · South San Francisco, California, United States of America · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Oncology Discovery Scientist Intern
Johnson & Johnson · Spring House, United States · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
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.