Senior Scientist - Multispecific Antibody Technologies for Autoimmune Diseases

Senior Scientist - Multispecific Antibody Technologies for Autoimmune Diseases

Location: Gaithersburg, MD

Why AstraZeneca

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognizing their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organization to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

This Opportunity

Biologics Engineering (BE) is responsible for the discovery and optimization of next generation biologics to create biological drug candidates for all key therapeutic areas such as oncology, respiratory and inflammation, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. We're constantly pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients, with a passion for the development of in-house biologics discovery platforms and novel drug modalities to address unmet medical needs.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• We are seeking a skilled and highly motivated Senior Scientist to enhance our antibody-based platform technology efforts. The successful candidate will be excited by research at the interface where innovative technology meets Biology.
• Conceive, design, and execute functional assays of innovative bispecific antibodies with improved selectivity and developability
• Collaborate and work with a diverse group of scientists across all therapeutic areas to ensure timely progress in research projects and drive technological innovations
• Supports a team and works collaboratively with project managers to ensure the efficient relay of information and forward translation of data
• Assesses and reports data, with little or no guidance, in a clear and concise manner, with a clear understanding of its implications within the overall context of drug discovery
• Provides technical instruction to the team and allocates administrative work where possible
• Functional characterization of antibodies and bispecific modalities
• Prepare, analyze, and present data internally and externally as well as contribute to scientific publication goals

Education & Experience Requirements

PhD in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or other relevant scientific field with 2+ years of post-doctoral or industry experience in T cell biology and/or T cell engagers

Required Skills

• Strong background in immunology, T cell biology and cancer biology.
• Experience in T-cell engagers and/or bispecific antibody technology
• Tissue culture techniques and cell-based assay development
• Deep understanding of various imaging/multicolor flow cytometry-based instruments and data analysis programs.
• Experience in molecular biology and antibody engineering, including; design, expression, purification and biochemical characterization of various antibody formats.
• Experience in development of in vivo mouse models and subsequent analysis, including but not limited to tumor phenotyping is a plus.
• Experience in antibody discovery using one of several display-based technologies is preferred but not essential.
• Proficiency in GraphPad Prism or other graphing software.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and effective presentation of complex scientific data to cross-functional and senior management teams are essential for this role.

Desired Skills

• Industry experience is a plus
• Understanding of protein structure-function relationships and antibody structural remodeling
• Experience in engineering antibodies with improved properties (e.g., affinity, solubility, and other attributes related to developability)
• Familiarity with data tracking tools such as Genedata.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and effective presentation of complex scientific data to cross-functional and senior management

About Our Gaithersburg Oncology Hub

Our Gaithersburg, Maryland facility creates life-changing medicines for people around the world. This campus employs more than 3,500 experts in our field and is only a short drive from Washington, DC. This modern and vibrant scientific campus is the home of R&D and Oncology in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most cutting-edge technology and lab spaces, all designed to inspire collaboration and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being chall