Senior Scientist

At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life-changing medicines. Being part of our team entails prioritizing achieving objectives, thinking ambitiously, and teaming up to transform visions into tangible outcomes.

We are looking for an Assay Scientist to join our Biologics Engineering (BE) team based in Gaithersburg, Maryland US.  BE is responsible for the discovery and optimization of biological candidate drugs across all AZ therapy areas such as oncology, respiratory and inflammation, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. We are 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.

In this role you will be responsible for providing critical biochemical and cell assay expertise to deliver multiple biologics drug discovery and technology development projects using innovative technologies. This is a lab-based role involving independent design, execution and interpretation of scientific experiments, and effective communication of findings and recommendations as part of a multi-disciplinary project team. You will also contribute to the identification and development of ground breaking technologies that benefit biologics drug discovery and have a consistent track record of creatively solving scientific challenges.

What you'll do

• Independently develop high-quality biochemical and cell-based 96 or 384 well-binding and functional assays. These assays will be used as biologics screens to identify hits and for pharmacological characterization of potential leads in multiple drug discovery or technology development projects. Expectations are to  deliver work on time and to budget

• Lead and contribute to the development of new screening and automation technologies and processes

• Apply antibody & protein engineering expertise to design & develop novel drug discovery screening platform

• Maintain a well-developed understanding of assay approaches to drug discovery and apply them to biologics discovery.

• Identify creative solutions to sophisticated assay, technology, or drug discovery project problems.

• Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publications or patents and participate in international conferences.

• Provide technical training and supervise members of the team where required

• Ensure own work, and work of peers, follow Good Laboratory Practice, Safety, Health and Environment standards and all other relevant internal AstraZeneca standards and external regulations

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology or other related fields with at least 3 years of relevant experience in industry (preferred) or academia or Master’s Degree with at least 5 years of relevant experience in industry (preferred) or academia.

• Background in Biologics drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry

• Experience and in-depth technical knowledge of assay development, screening, and use of automation, with a dedication to quality and scientific rigor

• Strong teammate with good communication skills and experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams.

• Ability to take on challenges creatively and contribute and improve assay technologies and processes

Desired Qualifications:

• Knowledge of biologics drug discovery and in vitro pharmacology

• Experience in various imaging/multicolor flow cytometry-technology

• Proven experience in managing and mining large datasets

• Experience of protein engineering and library design/screening

• Experience of project leadership and working within matrix teams

Site Description:

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 BioPharmaceuticals and Oncology R&D in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most innovative technology and lab spaces, all designed to inspire collaboration and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration.

The Gaithersburg site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees happy and healthy. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service ca