What is a Research Scientist at Novo Nordisk?

As a Research Scientist at Novo Nordisk, you are at the forefront of discovering and developing life-changing treatments for chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and rare blood disorders. This role is the engine of our scientific innovation, bridging the gap between early-stage biological discovery and scalable manufacturing processes. Whether you are working in our Copenhagen headquarters, our London hubs, or our process engineering facilities in Petersburg, Virginia, your work directly influences the therapeutics that millions of patients rely on worldwide.

The impact of this position is profound. You will be tasked with designing rigorous experiments, optimizing biochemical processes, and analyzing complex data to ensure that novel drug candidates can be effectively synthesized, purified, and scaled. This requires a delicate balance of deep scientific expertise and practical, cross-functional engineering acumen. You are not just working in a siloed lab; you are actively collaborating with teams across research, development, and manufacturing to bring therapeutic concepts to reality.

Stepping into this role means embracing a culture of high scientific rigor and profound purpose. You can expect to navigate complex, ambiguous scientific challenges while adhering to the highest standards of quality and patient safety. We are looking for scientists who are resilient, intellectually curious, and deeply motivated by the opportunity to translate cutting-edge biology and chemistry into tangible, scalable medical breakthroughs.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions represent the types of inquiries you will face during your interviews. They are drawn from actual candidate experiences and are designed to give you a sense of the patterns and themes we focus on. Use these to practice your framing, but do not attempt to memorize scripted answers.

Past Experience and Project Presentation

During the presentation and technical deep-dives, expect questions that probe the boundaries of your knowledge and the rationale behind your decisions.

• Walk me through the most technically challenging project you have led. What was the core bottleneck?
• Why did you choose this specific analytical method in your research, and what were its limitations?
• If you were to repeat this project today, what would you do differently based on what you learned?
• How did you ensure the reproducibility of the data you presented on slide X?
• Can you explain how your research findings could be translated into a scalable industrial process?

Behavioral and Psychometric Alignment

These questions are often tailored based on your psychometric test results and focus heavily on teamwork, resilience, and self-awareness.

• Your assessment indicates you are highly detail-oriented. Can you share an example of when focusing on the details caused you to miss a broader project deadline?
• Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with a colleague or manager about a scientific approach. How did you resolve it?
• Tell me about a time an experiment failed repeatedly. How did you maintain team morale and pivot your strategy?
• How do you prioritize your tasks when you are assigned to multiple cross-functional projects with competing deadlines?
• Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex scientific concept to a non-technical stakeholder.

Process Engineering and Scale-Up (If applicable)

For roles interfacing with manufacturing or process engineering, expect practical, scenario-based questions.

• How would you approach troubleshooting a sudden drop in yield during a routine purification process?
• What are the key parameters you would monitor when scaling a fermentation process from bench to pilot scale?
• Describe your experience with technology transfer. What are the most common pitfalls, and how do you avoid them?

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Novo Nordisk requires more than just brushing up on your technical knowledge. We evaluate candidates holistically, looking for a blend of scientific excellence, communication prowess, and alignment with our core values.

To succeed, you should understand our primary evaluation criteria:

Scientific and Technical Rigor As a research-driven organization, we expect a deep understanding of your specific domain, whether that is molecular biology, biochemistry, or process engineering. Interviewers will evaluate your ability to design robust experiments, troubleshoot unexpected results, and apply scientific principles to practical manufacturing or scale-up challenges. You can demonstrate strength here by speaking precisely about the methodologies you have used and the data-driven decisions you have made.

Communication and Knowledge Sharing Research is a collaborative endeavor at Novo Nordisk. We assess how effectively you can translate complex scientific data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences. You will be expected to present your past work, and your ability to field questions, defend your methodology, and engage in scientific debate is critical.

Cultural Fit and "The Novo Nordisk Way" We place a heavy emphasis on teamwork, integrity, and patient-centricity. Through behavioral interviews and psychometric assessments, we evaluate how you collaborate, how you handle setbacks, and your level of self-awareness. Strong candidates show that they can thrive in an environment that values consensus-building and open, sometimes challenging, feedback.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Research Scientist at Novo Nordisk is thorough, multi-staged, and designed to assess both your technical capabilities and your psychological fit for our teams. Typically, the process begins with an initial screening call involving the hiring manager and a key team member. This conversation focuses on your high-level background, your alignment with the role's requirements, and your motivation for joining the company.

If successful, you will advance to a testing phase, which is a distinctive and highly emphasized part of our process. You will be asked to complete psychometric (personality) and numerical reasoning assessments. Unlike many companies where these tests are merely a background check, at Novo Nordisk, the results of these assessments are often openly discussed during your subsequent interviews.

The final stages usually consist of a comprehensive technical onsite or virtual day. This heavily features a formal presentation where you will walk the team through a past research project. Following the presentation, you will face rigorous Q&A, a dedicated HR competency interview, and deep-dive technical discussions. The process is thorough and can sometimes take several weeks from end to end, requiring patience and consistent engagement.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial screening through the final presentation and HR rounds. Use this to structure your preparation, ensuring you allocate sufficient time to practice your presentation skills and reflect on your behavioral competencies before the onsite stages. Note that the exact sequence of technical rounds and the depth of the psychometric review may vary slightly depending on the specific team and location.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To perform well, you must understand exactly how the hiring team evaluates your skills during the core interview stages.

The Scientific Presentation

For almost all Research Scientist roles, you will be required to deliver a presentation detailing a significant past project. This is arguably the most critical component of the technical evaluation. We use this to judge not only your scientific competence but also your ability to structure a narrative, highlight key findings, and engage an audience. Strong performance means delivering a clear, well-paced presentation that balances high-level impact with deep technical methodology.

Be ready to go over:

• Experimental Design – The rationale behind your chosen methods and how you ensured robust, reproducible results.
• Data Interpretation – How you analyzed complex datasets and the statistical tools you employed.
• Troubleshooting – Specific instances where an experiment failed or yielded unexpected results, and how you pivoted.
• Advanced concepts (less common) –
  • Scale-up considerations for your benchtop experiments.
  • Cross-functional dependencies required to complete your project.
  • Regulatory or quality compliance considerations relevant to your research.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Why did you choose this specific assay over alternative methods, and what were the limitations?"
• "Walk us through the data on slide 4—how would your conclusions change if this variable was altered?"
• "If you had six more months and unlimited budget, how would you have expanded this project?"

Psychometric and Behavioral Evaluation

Novo Nordisk takes cultural fit and team dynamics very seriously. The psychometric and numerical tests you complete will generate a profile that HR and the technical team will review. During the HR competency interview, interviewers will ask targeted questions based on this profile. Strong candidates approach this with openness and self-awareness, rather than defensiveness.

Be ready to go over:

• Conflict Resolution – How you navigate disagreements regarding scientific direction or resource allocation.
• Adaptability – Your response to shifting project priorities or unexpected clinical data.
• Collaboration Style – How you integrate into established teams and communicate with non-scientific stakeholders.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Your psychometric profile suggests you prefer highly structured environments. How do you handle projects where the initial data is highly ambiguous?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver critical feedback to a senior colleague regarding their experimental design."
• "Describe a situation where your team failed to meet a critical research milestone. What was your role in the aftermath?"

Process Engineering and Scale-Up (Role Specific)

For roles specifically focused on process science or research engineering (such as our Petersburg, VA facility), you will be evaluated on your ability to transition research from the lab bench to pilot or commercial scale. We look for scientists who understand the physical and chemical constraints of large-scale manufacturing.

Be ready to go over:

• Process Optimization – Identifying bottlenecks in a biochemical pathway or purification step.
• Technology Transfer – The documentation and communication required to hand off a process to manufacturing teams.
• Quality by Design (QbD) – Integrating quality and safety metrics into the early stages of process development.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you optimize this purification step to increase yield without compromising product purity?"
• "What parameters would you monitor most closely when scaling this reaction from a 1L flask to a 50L bioreactor?"

Key Responsibilities

As a Research Scientist, your day-to-day work is a dynamic mix of hands-on laboratory experimentation, data analysis, and strategic collaboration. You will be responsible for designing and executing complex experimental protocols aimed at discovering new therapeutic targets or optimizing existing drug production processes. This involves spending significant time in the lab or pilot plant, ensuring that all procedures adhere to strict safety and quality standards.

Beyond the bench, you will spend a large portion of your time analyzing data, writing comprehensive technical reports, and preparing presentations for internal stakeholders. You will synthesize your findings to make actionable recommendations on whether to advance a specific compound or process modification. This requires a high degree of analytical rigor and the ability to spot trends or anomalies in large datasets.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of this role. You will rarely work in isolation. Instead, you will partner closely with cross-functional teams, including computational biologists, manufacturing engineers, quality assurance specialists, and project managers. Whether you are handing off a newly developed process to the engineering team in Petersburg or aligning on research targets with scientists in Copenhagen, your ability to communicate effectively across disciplines is essential to driving projects forward.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for the Research Scientist role at Novo Nordisk, you must possess a strong foundation in both theoretical science and practical laboratory techniques, paired with excellent interpersonal skills.

• Must-have skills

  • A Ph.D. or a Master’s degree with significant industry experience in a relevant field (e.g., Biochemistry, Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline).
  • Proven expertise in experimental design, execution, and advanced data analysis.
  • Strong presentation and scientific writing skills, with the ability to communicate complex data clearly.
  • Experience working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment.

• Nice-to-have skills

  • Prior experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, particularly with peptide or protein therapeutics.
  • Familiarity with process scale-up, technology transfer, or bioreactor operations (highly valued for Process Scientist roles).
  • Knowledge of regulatory requirements (e.g., GMP) and Quality by Design (QbD) principles.
  • Experience with advanced statistical software or programming languages (e.g., Python, R) for data analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? The process at Novo Nordisk is thorough and can sometimes be lengthy. Depending on the location and team, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a month from the final interview to receive a decision. We prioritize finding the absolute right fit, which requires careful deliberation by the hiring committee.

Q: Should I be worried about the psychometric and numerical testing? No, but you should be prepared to discuss the results openly. The psychometric analysis is not a pass/fail test; it is a tool we use to understand your working style, your strengths, and areas where you might need support. Be honest in your answers, and be ready to reflect on your working style during the HR interview.

Q: How should I structure my technical presentation? Focus on a narrative arc. Start with the broader context and the problem statement, dive deep into your methodology and your specific contributions, and conclude with the impact of your findings. Ensure you leave ample time for Q&A, as interviewers will interrupt to ask probing questions.

Q: What is the working culture like for Research Scientists at Novo Nordisk? The culture is highly collaborative, consensus-driven, and deeply rooted in our commitment to patients. We value scientific integrity and open dialogue. You will find a supportive environment that encourages continuous learning, but it also demands a high level of personal accountability and scientific rigor.

Q: Are these roles fully onsite? Because of the heavy laboratory and process engineering requirements, Research Scientist roles are generally onsite. However, there is often flexibility for remote work when your tasks are focused on data analysis, literature review, or report writing, depending on your specific team's guidelines.

Other General Tips

• Embrace the Psychometric Feedback: Do not be defensive if the HR team points out a potential weakness identified in your personality test. We value self-awareness. Acknowledge the finding and provide concrete examples of how you manage or mitigate that trait in a professional setting.

• Focus on the "We" and the "I": Novo Nordisk heavily values teamwork. When discussing past projects, clearly delineate what the team achieved ("we") and what your specific, individual contributions were ("I").

• Patience is Key: As noted in candidate experiences, our hiring process can sometimes experience delays due to the number of stakeholders involved. Follow up politely with your talent acquisition partner, but remain patient and professional throughout the waiting periods.

• Connect Your Work to the Patient: Ultimately, everything we do is about improving patient lives. Whenever possible, frame the impact of your past research or your future ambitions in terms of how it eventually translates to better therapeutic outcomes or more efficient drug delivery.

Summary & Next Steps

Stepping into a Research Scientist role at Novo Nordisk is an opportunity to do deeply meaningful work at the intersection of biological discovery and life-saving therapeutics. You will be challenged to bring your best scientific thinking to the table every day, working alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry to solve complex problems in diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases.

To succeed in this interview process, focus on mastering your project presentation, brushing up on your core technical competencies, and reflecting deeply on your collaborative style. Remember that we are looking for the whole package: a rigorous scientist, a clear communicator, and a team player who embodies the Novo Nordisk values. Take the time to practice your presentation out loud, prepare thoughtful questions for your interviewers, and approach the psychometric evaluations with honesty and self-reflection.

This salary and compensation module provides a baseline understanding of what to expect for this level. Keep in mind that total compensation at Novo Nordisk often includes performance bonuses, excellent benefits, and long-term incentives, varying slightly by location (e.g., Copenhagen vs. Petersburg) and your specific years of post-doctoral or industry experience.

You have the scientific background and the potential to make a massive impact here. Approach your preparation strategically, utilize resources like Dataford to review further insights, and walk into your interviews with confidence. We look forward to learning more about your research and how you can help us drive the next generation of medical breakthroughs.