Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cardiac Research Scientist

🎯 Role Definition

The Cardiac Research Scientist is an experienced translational scientist who leads and executes cardiovascular research programs that span molecular and cellular studies through preclinical animal models and early-stage clinical translation. This role requires deep technical expertise in cardiac electrophysiology and physiology, strong data analysis and study design skills, and the ability to manage cross-functional projects with clinicians, engineers, and regulatory teams. The ideal candidate produces high-quality, reproducible data, contributes to grant and IND/IDE submissions, publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts, and mentors junior scientists.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Postdoctoral Researcher in Cardiac Physiology or Cardiovascular Biology
Senior Scientist / Research Associate with 3–5+ years in cardiac or translational research
Clinical fellow or MD with research experience in cardiology or electrophysiology

Advancement To:

Principal Scientist / Senior Principal Scientist, Cardiovascular R&D
Head of Preclinical Cardiovascular Research / Director of Translational Research
Clinical Research Lead for Cardiovascular Programs / Program Director

Lateral Moves:

Translational Scientist — Devices and Diagnostics
Cardiovascular Safety Pharmacology Lead
Clinical Research Scientist (early-phase trials)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, plan, and execute rigorous in vitro and in vivo cardiac research studies to evaluate mechanisms of disease, therapeutic hypotheses, and device function, ensuring experiments are statistically powered and reproducible.
Develop, optimize, and validate assays using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, primary cardiac cells, and engineered heart tissues for contractility, calcium handling, and electrophysiological readouts.
Lead and perform cardiac electrophysiology experiments including patch clamp, multielectrode arrays (MEA), optical mapping, and telemetry-based ECG/arrhythmia monitoring to characterize drug and device effects on electrical function.
Conduct comprehensive cardiac imaging and physiological assessments (echocardiography, MRI collaboration, hemodynamic pressure–volume loop analysis) to quantify cardiac structure and function in small and large animal models.
Design and implement chronic and acute surgical procedures for rodent and large animal models, including myocardial infarction, pressure overload, and implantable telemetry, ensuring adherence to IACUC-approved protocols and surgical best practices.
Generate, analyze, and interpret molecular and cellular datasets (RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, proteomics, qPCR, western blot, flow cytometry) to elucidate mechanisms of cardiac disease and therapeutic response.
Build and maintain pipelines for quantitative image analysis (confocal, histology, immunohistochemistry) and morphometric assessments, including fibrosis quantification and cell-type specific marker analysis.
Collaborate with bioinformatics and biostatistics teams to develop analysis plans, apply advanced statistics, machine learning, or modeling approaches to large multi-omic and physiological datasets, and translate results into actionable conclusions.
Write, review, and submit IACUC/IRB protocols, material transfer agreements, and study plans; ensure all preclinical studies comply with GLP, GCP, and institutional/regulatory standards where applicable.
Lead translational project milestones: translate preclinical endpoints to clinically meaningful measures, advise on clinical trial design, and support IND/IDE package preparation with preclinical safety and efficacy data.
Oversee experimental QA/QC processes, implement SOPs, maintain rigorous documentation and lab notebooks, and establish reproducibility standards across experiments and collaborators.
Develop and validate new assays and biomarker readouts (e.g., circulating biomarkers, imaging biomarkers) for pharmacodynamic and safety monitoring in cardiovascular programs.
Manage relationships with external partners and contract research organizations (CROs), coordinating outsourced studies, reviewing CRO protocols, and ensuring data integrity and timely deliverables.
Mentor and supervise junior scientists, technicians, and students; provide hands-on training in experimental techniques, data analysis, and scientific writing to build a high-performing team.
Prepare and contribute to grant proposals, research funding applications, technical reports, and peer-reviewed manuscripts; present findings at scientific conferences and to internal stakeholders.
Drive cross-functional interactions with clinical cardiology, medicinal chemistry, device engineering, regulatory affairs, and product development teams to ensure alignment of preclinical objectives with program goals.
Lead troubleshooting and optimization of experimental platforms (e.g., automated patch clamp, high-throughput contractility assays, tissue-engineered constructs) to increase throughput and reduce assay variance.
Maintain laboratory budgets, oversee procurement of specialized cardiac instrumentation and reagents, and prioritize resource allocation for multiple concurrent projects.
Evaluate safety pharmacology and off-target cardiovascular effects of novel compounds or devices, design safety studies (QT liability, proarrhythmia assessment), and interpret regulatory-relevant endpoints.
Serve as a subject-matter expert for cardiac biology and physiology across the organization, advising senior leadership on scientific strategy, go/no-go decisions, and portfolio prioritization.
Foster a culture of scientific rigor, open data sharing, and continuous learning by organizing journal clubs, lab meetings, and cross-disciplinary workshops focused on cardiovascular innovation.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc cross-functional requests for cardiac data interpretation to inform clinical development, regulatory submissions, and business development decisions.
Provide technical input into intellectual property (IP) generation, patent applications, and freedom-to-operate analyses related to cardiac technologies and therapeutics.
Participate in feasibility assessments and design-of-experiment planning for new program proposals and early-stage discovery projects.
Contribute to company-wide quality systems by participating in audits, corrective action plans, and documentation standardization relevant to preclinical cardiovascular studies.
Act as a liaison to clinical investigators to align preclinical endpoints with clinical biomarkers, help design correlative studies, and support investigator-initiated clinical protocols.
Identify opportunities for automation, assay miniaturization, and process improvements to accelerate translational timelines while maintaining data quality.
Engage with academic collaborators and consortiums to access expertise, share data, and accelerate validation of cardiac targets and biomarkers.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced hands-on expertise in cardiac electrophysiology techniques: patch clamp, MEA, optical mapping, and in vivo ECG/telemetry.
Proven ability in cardiac imaging and functional assessment: transthoracic echocardiography in small animals, pressure–volume loop analysis, and coordination with MRI imaging teams.
Experience with preclinical surgical models of cardiac disease (e.g., myocardial infarction, TAC, ischemia-reperfusion) and post-operative animal care compliant with IACUC guidelines.
Molecular biology and cell biology techniques applied to cardiac research: qPCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and single-cell transcriptomics workflows.
Proficiency in handling and differentiating iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and/or primary cardiomyocyte culture, with experience in contractility and calcium transient assays.
Data analysis and programming skills: R, Python, MATLAB, or similar tools for statistical analysis, curve fitting, and visualization of physiological datasets.
Bioinformatics competence for transcriptomics/proteomics interpretation, pipeline integration, and collaboration with computational teams.
Strong knowledge of GLP/GCP principles, regulatory requirements for preclinical studies, and experience preparing data for IND/IDE or regulatory interactions.
Experience working with CROs and external vendors: protocol review, study oversight, and contract management for outsourced preclinical services.
Assay design and validation experience, including establishing assay sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and limit of detection for translational endpoints.
Familiarity with safety pharmacology and cardiac safety assessments (QT liability, proarrhythmia testing, hemodynamic safety).
Competence with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic lab notebooks (ELN), and data integrity best practices.

Soft Skills

Clear scientific communication: ability to write high-quality manuscripts, grant proposals, technical reports, and present complex data to diverse audiences including clinicians and executives.
Leadership and people management: mentoring, conflict resolution, and ability to motivate teams to meet milestones and deadlines.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration: proven ability to work effectively with clinicians, engineers, regulatory affairs, and external academic partners.
Project management: prioritize tasks, create realistic timelines, manage budgets, and deliver multiple programs on schedule.
Critical thinking and problem-solving: rapidly troubleshoot experiments, design follow-up studies, and adapt strategies based on data.
Attention to detail and commitment to data integrity, reproducibility, and high experimental standards.
Intellectual curiosity and continuous learning to stay current with cardiovascular literature, methods, and technologies.
Strategic mindset: align laboratory activities with programmatic goals and business priorities, making data-driven recommendations for project advancement.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

PhD in Physiology, Cardiac Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, or similar life-science discipline; or MD with substantial research experience.

Preferred Education:

PhD or MD/PhD with postdoctoral training in cardiovascular research, electrophysiology, or translational cardiology.
Additional coursework or certification in statistics, bioinformatics, or regulatory science is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Cardiac Physiology / Cardiovascular Biology
Biomedical Engineering (cardiovascular focus)
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Pharmacology / Toxicology
Bioinformatics / Systems Biology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10+ years of relevant post-degree experience; senior roles typically 5–10+ years including postdoctoral experience.

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record of independently leading cardiovascular research projects, with first/senior author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Experience supervising laboratory staff and coordinating multi-site preclinical studies.
Prior involvement in translational programs with contributions to IND/IDE submissions, regulatory interactions, or clinical trial planning.
Familiarity with industry workflows in pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical device development preferred.