Senior Scientist, Protein Chemistry

About the job

Sanofi Vaccines is seeking a creative and highly motivated biological engineer/biochemist to join the vaccine research group in Cambridge, MA. The primary objective for this individual will be to develop innovative approaches to enable rapid prototyping of vaccine candidates against viral pathogens.  The successful candidate will design, perform, and execute protein expression, purification and characterization campaigns at research scale; and collaborate with CMC team to ensure efficient and effective technology transfer from Research to Development. 

We are an innovative global healthcare company that helps the world stay ahead of infectious diseases by delivering more than 500 million vaccine doses a year. Across different countries, our talented teams are exploring new technologies to protect people and promote healthy communities. We chase the miracles of science every single day, pursuing progress to make a real impact on millions of patients around the world.​

The successful candidate will also have experience with variety of protein purification methods, affinity purification, IEX, SEC, et al.  It is imperative that this candidate has expert level knowledge of protein conformation and function, ideally in the context of viral membrane fusion proteins and additional important viral protein immunogens. The ability to design and optimize the purification method is required. An understanding of basic virology and viral vaccinology, including interaction with host cellular receptors, viral entry mechanisms, neutralization mechanisms, modification of viral antigens for stabilization of antigenic conformation is preferred.

It is imperative that this candidate has an expert level of protein purification, hands-on experience with protein purification design and optimization using different laboratory tools.  The successful candidate will also have extensive working knowledge and experience on protein engineering, expression and purification from various host (mammalian, insect and bacteria) using laboratory tools. Deep understanding and knowledge on protein conformation and stability is also required.

The successful candidate will be responsible for performing critical data analyses and for independently preparing and delivering impactful presentations to senior team members and to the global project team. They must also have excellent communication skills including oral and written presentations.

Main responsibilities:

• Develop and optimize purification methods independently to meet project objectives.

• Working with in-house resource or CRO, lead the experimental design, planning and execution of viral antigen screening, production, characterization efforts.

• Develop novel or optimize automation and biological protocols to enable the design, engineering, and characterization of antigens.

• Work with internal Automation/Digital/Computational teams to implement data management best practices and ensure that data will be structured for AI and ML applications.

• Serve as a laboratory lead to design and execute experiments with scientific staff that comply with study protocols and maintain scientific norms (contain appropriate positive and negative controls, replicates, standards, etc.) to appropriately achieve goals set forth in study plans.          

• Demonstrate technical proficiency with the ability to problem solve in a broad array of experimental protocols.

• Provide guidance to junior personnel regarding protocol development, execution, and data validation.

• Help to lead, monitor, and maintain facility related aspects of the lab and lab equipment as needed

Project Contribution

• Present concise scientific presentations in-line with project objectives

• Support and in some cases lead internal site-specific projects.

• Assist with and/or prepare publications, proposals, reports, patents, and grant applications

• Critically evaluate relevant literature to provide experimental and strategic input to senior team members as needed.

• Actively take part in the training of more junior technical staff

GRP and HSE

• Comply with the company safety policies and HSE to minimize risk to self, others and the environment, consistent with HSE policies, community and industry standards

• Identify and help to improve best practices in HSE operations

• Ensure documentation of laboratory experiments are entered in ELSE in a timely manner: analyze and summarize experimental outcomes, record experimental procedures and raw and data

• Participate in generating/reviewing SOPs and other