AbbVie Posted June 9, 2026

Senior Scientist l, QTAS & ADME Sciences

North Chicago, IL Full-time
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Senior

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 is seeking a highly motivated and experienced scientist to join our Quantitative, Translation & ADME Sciences (QTAS) team in North Chicago. The ideal candidate will have a strong background and expertise with in vitro models, drug metabolizing enzyme function, drug-drug interaction concepts, quantitative bioanalysis and ability to spot, ideate and drive cutting-edge science. Applicants having experience in an adjacent area, such as drug permeability and transport, receptor pharmacology and pharmacokinetic modeling is desirable. In this exciting role, you will be expected to participate in implementing innovative and quantitative approaches to advance translational ADME using conventional as well as more complex in vitro models. Working primarily in a laboratory, the position will involve the conduct and contribution to scientific leadership of in vitro assays as well as applying translational modeling concepts to help drive the global in vitro ADME strategy at AbbVie. The candidate will be expected to qualify, confirm and evaluate new technologies as well as execute operational activities to support the mechanistic and translational understanding of early and late-stage small molecules to help advance drug candidates in our pipeline. In addition, you will have opportunities to contribute to broader areas within DMPK as your experience and expertise warrants.

Core responsibilities include:

Laboratory experimentation in cellular and subcellular models

Evaluating novel in vitro tools and methods, and apply established methods and concepts to enable and improve prediction of human PK and drug-drug interaction potential

As needed, liaise with QTAS, discovery biology/pharmacology to generate data and knowledge supporting the build-up of translational, mechanistic models

Communicate internally and externally on topics related to in vitro drug metabolism

Keep up to date with emerging literature and science in modeling and in vitro approaches

Qualifications

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 10 years of experience, Master’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 8 years of experience, PhD and no experience necessary.

Strong experience in cell culture methods, including hepatocytes and cell lines.

Deep understanding of drug metabolism and ADME principles including enzyme kinetics, IVIVE and DDI risk assessment

Strong and relevant publication record

Highly motivated, self-driven and results-oriented person with excellent communication and presentation skills, capable to work both as team player and independent scientific contributor

Passion for generating ideas, learning, solving technical problems and applying new technologies to further scientific goals.

Key Leadership Competencies:

Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance

Ability to inspire and lead others in areas of your expertise

Learns fast, grasps the "essence" and can change 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 innovation 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 roleat  the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on manyfactors  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 isearned,  vested,  and determinable. The amount and availability of  any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that areallocable 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 absolutediscretion,  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
Senior
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 188 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 30 biopharma companies.

188Comparable roles tracked
170Currently active
30Companies hiring similar roles
12Countries represented

Salary context

61 of 188 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 $96,500/yr – $183,500/yr
Highest disclosed · Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics · Merck $194,100/yr – $305,600/yr
Peer group range $105,700 – $249,850 (median $165,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 188 comparable roles

United States153
India8
Germany5
United Kingdom5
Canada4
China's Mainland3

+ 6 more countries

Seniority mix

188 of 188 peers have a known seniority level

Senior110
Principal57
Associate Director21

Therapeutic area mix

29 of 188 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Cardiovascular / CVRM7
Immunology4
Neuroscience1
Respiratory1

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
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck South San Francisco, California, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country

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%
Scientist/Sr Scientist, Discovery Strategy and Operations
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Scientist, Computational Safety & Exploratory Pharmacology
Merck · West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr. Scientist, Primary Pharmacology
Pfizer · Groton, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Scientist, Toxicology II
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Senior
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.