At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com.
As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.
**Job Function: **
Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development
**Job Sub Function: **
Biological Research
Job Category:
Scientific/Technology
All Job Posting Locations:
Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium
Job Description:
Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.
Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.
Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine
We are seeking an exceptional Principal Scientist to help advance our neuroscience discovery efforts through high-content imaging and disease-relevant cellular models in neurodegeneration. This is an opportunity to contribute to science that can meaningfully shape how we understand disease biology, guide critical pipeline decisions, and ultimately support the development of future therapies for patients with significant unmet need. The successful candidate will join an industry-leading team with deep expertise in complex models and high-content imaging, offering a uniquely strong environment for scientific excellence and collaboration. The successful candidate will bring deep scientific expertise, curiosity, and collaborative leadership to build innovative assay and imaging approaches, generate impactful insights from complex model systems, and help push ambitious discovery programs forward in a highly connected research environment.
Key Responsibilities
1) Hands-on assay development in neurodegeneration models
- Develop, optimize, and execute assays in complex in vitro models, including primary models, aggregation models, and cell lines, to address diverse scientific questions while ensuring robustness, relevance, and scalability.
- Generate high-quality, reproducible data in physiologically relevant laboratory models to enable compound profiling and deepen biological understanding.
- Interpret complex datasets and translate findings into clear scientific recommendations for project teams and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Drive mechanistic insight by integrating assay outcomes from diverse cellular systems with broader pharmacology and translational data.
- Apply scientific expertise in neuroscience and neurodegeneration to select the most appropriate model systems and assay approaches based on the research questions, program stage, and decision-making needs.
- Document experimental work with rigor and communicate results clearly in team discussions, reports, and project updates.
2) High‑content imaging and analysis in neurodegeneration models
Own high-content imaging workflows in cellular pharmacology, including experimental design, acquisition settings, quality control, troubleshooting, downstream analysis, and data interpretation.
Lead hands-on imaging efforts in complex and physiologically relevant models for neurodegeneration.
Provide technical expertise across imaging modalities, including high-content imaging, live-cell imaging, and confocal/spinning-disk microscopy, and apply the most appropriate modality to the scientific question.
Analyze high-content imaging data in complex models (e.g., neuronal systems, co-cultures, and 3D models), quantify relevant phenotypes, markers, and cellular states, and generate meaningful readouts that distinguish healthy versus disease or treated versus control conditions.
3) Leadership expectations
- Acts as a senior hands-on scientist within neuroscience programs, bringing deep technical expertise, strong experimental judgment, and a high standard of scientific rigor.
- Leads by example through scientific excellence, rigorous execution, and generation of high-quality, reproducible data.
- Takes ownership of scientific questions and experimental approaches within their area of expertise, and contributes clear, data-driven recommendations to project teams.
- Works collaboratively across functions and contributes as a trusted scientific partner to program progress and team success.
- Provides mentorship and scientific guidance to junior scientists, helping build technical capability and scientific confidence across the team.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Neurosciences or equivalent industry experience.
- At least 5 years of industry experience in drug discovery or translational research.Deep hands-on experience in neurodegeneration-relevant cellular models, including neuronal aggregation models and other disease-relevant in vitro systems used for mechanistic studies, phenotypic profiling, and translational decision-making.
- Proven hands-on expertise in high-content imaging, including assay development, image acquisition, data analysis, and interpretation in complex cellular systems within a cell biology or drug discovery setting.
- Ability to define and implement quality metrics for assay robustness and reliable image‑based readouts.
- Proven ability to independently plan work, troubleshoot, keep meticulous records, and communicate results to cross‑functional partners.
**Preferred **
- Experience programming in R or Python for high-content imaging data analysis.
Key Competencies
- Strong bench-based scientific judgment in neuroscience and neurodegeneration research.
- Scientific rigor, attention to detail, and meticulous record-keeping.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to work effectively with cross-functional stakeholders across multiple projects and priorities.
- Practical problem-solving skills, including the ability to translate complex datasets from translational models into clear, decision-relevant scientific recommendations.
**Required Skills: **
Preferred Skills:
Big Data Management, Critical Thinking, Data Reporting, Data Savvy, Drug Discovery Development, Molecular Diagnostics, Organizing, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Problem Solving, Product Knowledge, Project Reporting, Project Schedule, Research Proposals, Scientific Research, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Standard Scientific Processes and Procedures, Strategic Thinking, Sustainability
The anticipated base pay range for this position is:
€79,800.00 - €137,770.00
Benefits:
In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.
*This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.