Lab Scientist / Research Scientist Cover Letter Examples & Writing Guide

Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my strong interest in the Scientist position in Antibody Engineering at Genentech. With a PhD in Biochemistry and 4 years of industry experience developing therapeutic antibodies, I am excited to contribute to Genentech's legacy of innovation in biologic drug development. At Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, I have successfully: • Engineered next-generation bispecific antibodies with improved manufacturability and efficacy profiles • Developed high-throughput screening platforms for antibody affinity maturation reducing timelines by 40% • Led cross-functional collaborations with process development and formulation teams • Published 5 peer-reviewed papers and filed 2 patent applications for novel antibody formats • Mentored 3 associate scientists, building team capabilities in molecular biology techniques Genentech's scientific rigor and commitment to bringing transformative medicines to patients deeply inspire me. I am particularly drawn to your work in oncology and immunology and the opportunity to contribute to your antibody engineering capabilities. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing how my expertise can advance Genentech's pipeline. Sincerely, Dr. Jennifer Wu

Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply for the Senior Research Scientist position in Oncology at Merck Research Labs. With 6 years of oncology drug discovery experience and expertise in tumor immunology, I am passionate about contributing to Merck's transformative cancer research programs. At Bristol-Myers Squibb, I have: • Led target validation efforts for novel immuno-oncology combinations advancing 2 programs to development • Established ex vivo patient tumor explant platform enabling translational biomarker discovery • Developed CRISPR-based functional genomics screens identifying novel therapeutic targets • Collaborated with computational biology teams on multi-omic data integration and target prioritization • Presented research at AACR and SITC, contributing to scientific discourse in the field Merck's leadership in immuno-oncology, exemplified by KEYTRUDA, and commitment to scientific excellence inspire me. I am particularly excited about contributing to next-generation checkpoint combinations and novel modalities. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my research can support Merck's oncology mission. Best regards, Dr. Michael Thompson

Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to apply for the Research Associate II position in Protein Science at Amgen. With a Master's degree in Biochemistry and 3 years of experience in protein expression and purification, I am eager to contribute to Amgen's world-class biologics research. At Takeda, I have successfully: • Expressed and purified 50+ recombinant proteins annually supporting drug discovery programs • Optimized mammalian expression systems increasing yields by 60% for difficult-to-express targets • Performed biophysical characterization including SEC-MALS, DSF, and SPR binding assays • Maintained detailed electronic lab notebooks and contributed to technical SOPs • Trained junior associates on chromatography techniques and equipment operation Amgen's pioneering work in biologics and commitment to scientific excellence deeply attract me. I am particularly interested in your protein engineering capabilities and the opportunity to grow my scientific career. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing how I can contribute to Amgen's research. Sincerely, Lisa Chen

Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply for the Scientist position in Cell Biology at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. With a PhD in Cell Biology and 4 years of industry experience in cellular disease modeling, I am passionate about developing treatments for serious diseases where Vertex is making transformative impact. At Novartis, I have: • Developed patient-derived iPSC models for rare genetic diseases enabling target validation • Established high-content imaging assays screening 100K+ compounds for phenotypic rescue • Led collaborative projects with external academic partners on disease biology understanding • Contributed to 3 IND-enabling packages through mechanistic characterization studies • Published research in Cell Reports and presented at Gordon Research Conferences Vertex's scientific approach to tackling serious diseases and rapid translation to patient impact inspire me. I am particularly drawn to your work in genetic diseases and the opportunity to apply my cell biology expertise. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience can advance Vertex's research programs. Best regards, Dr. Sarah Park

Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my interest in the Senior Scientist position in Virology at Gilead Sciences. With a PhD in Virology and 7 years of experience in antiviral drug discovery, I am dedicated to advancing Gilead's mission of developing transformative therapies for viral diseases. At AbbVie, I have successfully: • Led HCV and HBV drug discovery programs from target identification through candidate selection • Developed novel viral replication assay systems enabling mechanism-of-action studies • Built resistance profiling capabilities characterizing 100+ clinical and laboratory variants • Collaborated with medicinal chemistry to optimize antiviral potency and selectivity • Authored 8 peer-reviewed publications advancing scientific understanding in the field Gilead's exceptional track record in antiviral therapeutics and commitment to patients deeply inspire me. I am particularly excited about your HIV cure research and emerging viral threats preparedness. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing how my virology expertise can contribute to Gilead. Sincerely, Dr. Robert Kim

Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply for the Scientist position on the mRNA Platform team at Moderna. With a PhD in RNA Biology and 3 years of experience in nucleic acid therapeutics, I am passionate about advancing Moderna's revolutionary approach to medicine. At Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, I have: • Optimized siRNA delivery systems improving in vivo efficacy by 3-fold • Developed cell-based screening assays for nucleic acid therapeutics • Characterized RNA-protein interactions using biochemical and biophysical methods • Contributed to lipid nanoparticle formulation optimization for extrahepatic delivery • Published first-author research on novel RNA modification chemistries Moderna's pioneering mRNA technology and ambitious pipeline across therapeutic areas inspire me. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to advance the mRNA platform and expand its applications. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my RNA biology expertise can support Moderna's mission. Best regards, Dr. Emily Zhang

Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to apply for the Associate Scientist position in Biochemistry at AstraZeneca. With a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and 2 years of laboratory experience, I am eager to launch my career in pharmaceutical R&D at a company committed to pushing scientific boundaries. At a contract research organization, I have: • Performed enzyme kinetics assays supporting drug discovery hit identification • Conducted protein-ligand binding studies using fluorescence polarization and ITC • Maintained detailed documentation per GLP standards and contributed to study reports • Optimized assay conditions improving data quality and throughput • Collaborated with scientists to troubleshoot experimental challenges AstraZeneca's science-first culture and commitment to developing life-changing medicines attract me. I am particularly interested in your oncology and cardiovascular programs. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing how I can contribute to AstraZeneca's research. Sincerely, David Martinez

Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply for the Scientist position in Genomics Applications at Illumina. With a PhD in Genomics and 5 years of experience developing sequencing-based applications, I am passionate about expanding the power of sequencing technology to transform healthcare and research. At Pacific Biosciences, I have: • Developed novel library preparation methods for long-read sequencing applications • Led collaborations with academic partners validating clinical sequencing workflows • Designed bioinformatics pipelines for variant calling and genome assembly • Contributed to product development for structural variant detection applications • Published research on transcriptomics and epigenomics methodology Illumina's leadership in sequencing technology and commitment to unlocking the power of the genome inspire me. I am particularly excited about clinical applications and expanding sequencing accessibility. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my genomics expertise can advance Illumina's mission. Best regards, Dr. Amanda Lee