Senior Scientist, Bioconjugation in Cambridge

This is an exciting opportunity for a laboratory-based scientist to join the Oncology Targeted Discovery (OTD), Bioconjugation and Analytical team in Cambridge. You will become part of a growing team of Bioconjugation scientists and play a pivotal role in the delivery of robust and high-quality data to support drug discovery projects within the Oncology portfolio. Working collaboratively with other disciplines across AstraZeneca, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the research and development for early phase projects.

You should have a background in Oncology/Biology/Chemical Biology and a strong passion for experimental work and delivering data from the laboratory. You will use your scientific judgement, strong ability to analyse experimental data and use effective communication skills to contribute to decision making for early-stage drug discovery programmes. As a Bioconjugation Scientist, you'll have a deep understanding of the range of analytical procedures relating to bioanalysis/bioscience. You will expertly design and conduct laboratory projects/experiments, develop analytical methods, and generate, interpret, and report scientific data to relevant stakeholders.

What you’ll do:

• Develop, optimise and scale up drug discovery research lab experiments independently by applying the techniques of Bioconjugation of small molecules to antibodies and related scaffolds.
• Perform routine interpretation of data with little or no guidance, with a clear understanding of its implications within drug discovery and effectively communicate to relevant stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
• Work independently within a team and collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain a well-developed understanding of approaches to targeted delivery of therapeutics within Oncology.
• Remain up to date with relevant recent advances and relevant technology including published papers/patents with peers.
• Author and review relevant documents including laboratory notebooks, protocols and reports.
• Ensure own work, and work of peers, follows Good Laboratory Practice, Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) standards and all other relevant internal AstraZeneca standards and external regulations.

Skills and Experience:

• PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or a related scientific discipline. Alternatively, an MSc or BSc in a relevant discipline with significant industrial experience in bioconjugation, protein chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Strong foundation in synthetic chemistry and protein biochemistry, with the ability to apply this knowledge to the design and execution of bioconjugation strategies.
• Hands-on experience in protein and bioconjugate characterisation using techniques such as UV/Vis spectroscopy, HPLC including size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and ion exchange chromatography (IEX), as well as LC-MS.
• Experience in preparative purification workflows, including the use of ÄKTA systems and tangential flow filtration (TFF) for purification and processing of proteins and bioconjugates.
• Demonstrated track record in protein or related scaffold modification, including the successful execution of conjugation strategies and evaluation of resulting constructs.
• Ability to plan, prioritise and execute experiments independently, while maintaining high scientific rigour, attention to detail, and strong data integrity standards.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present technical data and conclusions clearly to both specialist and cross-functional audiences.

Desirables:

• Strong understanding of the development, optimisation, and qualification of robust analytical methods for protein and bioconjugate characterisation.
• Direct experience working with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) or related targeted conjugate modalities.
• Experience with high-throughput techniques or automated workflows in a relevant scientific area.
• Knowledge of biophysical characterisation of proteins and conjugates, including assessment of stability, aggregation, and higher-order properties.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.