Associate Scientist II/Scientist I – Chemical Biology & Mass Spectrometry Technologies
Posted Sep 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
You'd establish, document and maintain standard operating procedures for routine workflows. How do you write one that stays accurate as the method evolves?
What they are checking: Whether they write procedures that stay accurate as methods change, so others can reliably repeat the work over time.
This is posted at Associate Scientist II or Scientist I level, at North Chicago, and asks for a bachelor's or master's degree. Where do you place yourself, and what would stretch you?
What they are checking: Whether they can place themselves honestly between the two posted levels, which shows self-awareness and sets fair expectations.
What would you do
A run gives results that do not look right and there is a queue of samples behind it. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they will pause a questionable run despite a sample backlog, rather than producing more bad data quickly.
How do you work with the scientists whose samples you process when their timelines compete?
What they are checking: Whether they can balance competing scientists' timelines fairly and communicate clearly, since this core lab serves many internal customers.
About the work
This role develops and implements automated sample preparation workflows for chemical biology and mass spectrometry. What automation have you built in a laboratory?
What they are checking: Whether they have built lab automation themselves, since automating sample preparation is the main focus of this position.
The posting names magnetic bead-based enrichments and liquid handling. Walk me through automating a bead-based enrichment.
What they are checking: Whether they can automate a bead-based enrichment in practice, including mixing, washing and timing steps on a liquid handler.
What goes wrong when you move a manual method onto a liquid handler?
What they are checking: Whether they know from experience what breaks when moving a manual method to a liquid handler, such as volumes and timing.
You'd work on plate-based workflows. How do you keep plate-to-plate variability under control?
What they are checking: Whether they can control plate-to-plate variability in high-throughput work, since inconsistency undermines every downstream mass spectrometry result.
You'd operate, monitor, maintain and troubleshoot liquid chromatography mass spectrometry instruments. What fails most often, and how do you tell an instrument problem from a sample problem?
What they are checking: Whether they can tell instrument problems from sample problems, which saves time and samples when a mass spectrometry run looks wrong.
How do you validate that an automated workflow gives the same answer as the manual one?
What they are checking: Whether they can show an automated method matches the manual one with real data, before scientists rely on its results.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.