Principal Scientist, External Innovation/China CV&M Lead

Working with Us
Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren't words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You'll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more:

Bristol Myers Squibb is seeking a talented and motivated Principal Scientist to lead external innovation efforts in cardiovascular and metabolic disease within the framework of the China 2030 strategy. This role is critical in identifying, evaluating, and driving strategic partnerships with academic institutions, biotech companies, and the broader life sciences community in China. The ideal candidate will combine deep scientific expertise with the ability to assess strategic R&D opportunities that align with BMS's mission of advancing life-saving therapies for patients.

Scope:

This position resides at a pivotal interface between Research, Development, Business Development, Global Alliance Management, and external collaborators. The Principal Scientist will partner with internal and external stakeholders to explore and evaluate cutting-edge research, new preclinical assets, and innovative molecules in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Reporting to the Head of China Integrative Sciences and based in Shanghai, this role directly contributes to bringing novel, high-quality science into BMS's early R&D pipeline.

Key Responsibilities:

Scientific Evaluation of Partnerships:

• Drive assessments of external innovation opportunities in China, focusing on new technologies, therapeutic targets, preclinical assets, and research programs in cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
• Conduct rigorous evaluation of research hypotheses, study designs, data quality, and results interpretation, providing critical input to internal decision-making processes.
• Leverage expertise in cardiovascular and metabolic disease to evaluate strategies and address gaps in BMS's areas of scientific interest.

Collaborative Proposal Management:

• Collaborate with internal R&D teams and business development (BD) colleagues to define the scope and structure of external research proposals.
• Coordinate the generation of research proposals for partnerships and assist in the development of collaboration agreements.

Portfolio Integration and Pipeline Enhancement:

• Align external innovation programs with internal R&D priorities to extend and complement BMS's pipeline cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
• Identify and assess preclinical assets or molecules in development with potential to deliver transformative patient outcomes.

Project Execution and Communication:

• Partner with internal stakeholders and external groups to facilitate seamless communication regarding project strategies, study designs, and progress updates.
• Contribute to the implementation of the external innovation pillar of BMS's China 2030 strategy.

Identifying New Opportunities:

• Proactively seek and evaluate scientific collaborations with academic, biotech, and industry leaders in China and including innovative preclinical assets, early-stage programs, or novel therapeutic targets that align with BMS R&D goals.

Progress Reporting and Documentation:

• Prepare detailed progress reports and presentations to summarize key activities and outcomes of external collaborations, ensuring alignment with senior management's expectations.

Scientific Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong, effective relationships with academic and industry partners in China to ensure timely milestone delivery for collaborative projects.
• Provide scientific oversight and operational support for collaborative research efforts, as needed.

Qualifications:

Deep scientific expertise with Ph.D. 5–8 years of academic and/or industry experience, with at least 1–2 years in a leadership role in cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and related fields, including translational research and preclinical development.

• Proven ability to assess and critically review preclinical assets, therapeutic targets, and early-stage programs.
• Strong publication record and/or patents demonstrating expertise and innovation in scientific research.
• Fluency in drug discovery principles, with experience navigating the interface between academic and industry or biotech collaborations.
• Exceptional critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills to provide insights into cutting-edge science and identify potential breakthroughs.  Problem-solving skills for complex situations are required.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to foster productive collaborations and represent BMS effectively in external settings.
• Fluency in English and Chinese, both written and spoken, is required.

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn't perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers
With a single vision as inspiring as "Transforming patients' lives through science ", every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to Visit to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: 

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.