Senior Research Scientist – Protein Scientist in Cambridge

Location: Cambridge, UK

Salary: Competitive with excellent benefits

Introduction to the Role: Biologics Engineering Function in the UK is based at our new state‑of‑the‑art Discovery Centre (DISC) located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Biologics Engineering is responsible for the discovery and optimisation of biological candidate drugs to support all therapy area drug discovery pipelines and for the development of in‑house biologics discovery platforms and novel drug modalities to support future drug discovery efforts.

About the Role: We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join Biologics Engineering within the Protein Sciences & Analytics (PS&A) team, supporting the generation of bioconjugates. AstraZeneca are looking to strengthen capability in conjugation workflows and enable data‑driven optimisation of bioconjugate design and production.

Accountabilities:

• Express, purify, and characterise antibodies and protein constructs (IgG, VHH, fusion proteins) to support conjugation workflows.
• Independently perform bioconjugate generation using a variety of conjugation strategies – for example, lysine/cysteine chemistries and enzymatic methods.
• Execute analytical QC for conjugates and proteins using SEC, HIC, RP‑HPLC, LC‑MS, and SDS‑PAGE; ensure data integrity and timely reporting.
• Support linker‑payload and conjugation route development by preparing high‑quality protein starting materials and performing small‑scale conjugation trials.
• Contribute to functional assays and collaborate with cell biology and biologics profiling teams for downstream evaluation.
• Maintain accurate electronic lab notebooks, SOP compliance, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives in workflows and automation.
• Present data at team meetings and contribute to technical reports for governance and project progression.
• Mentor junior staff and support training in protein handling and QC techniques.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Deliver purified proteins and conjugates to specification and timelines for multiple pipeline and technology projects for bioconjugates.
• Troubleshoot purification and conjugation challenges; propose solutions to improve yield and quality.
• Apply biophysical and biochemical characterization to assess protein quality, stability, and conjugation readiness.
• Collaborate closely with conjugation scientists, analytical teams, and project leads to ensure seamless integration of protein and conjugation workflows.
• Uphold data integrity standards; contribute to lab organization and process optimization.

Education & Experience Requirements:

• PhD in Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Chemical Biology or related discipline.
• Strong foundation in protein expression, purification, and characterization; experience with bioconjugation is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with analytical techniques (SEC, HIC, RP‑HPLC, LC‑MS) and data interpretation.

Required Skills:

• Hands‑on experience in protein biochemistry: expression systems (mammalian, bacterial), purification (affinity, ion exchange, size exclusion), and QC.
• Ability to learn and apply bioconjugation chemistries and workflows.
• Competence in analytical characterization and troubleshooting.
• Experience with scientific databases, e.g. Gene data Biologics.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast‑paced environment.
• Familiarity with high‑throughput, automated purification systems.
• Effective communication skills for cross‑functional collaboration and data presentation.

Desired Skills:

• Experience with structural biology or mechanistic studies of protein complexes.
• Direct experience with bioconjugates, for example, antibody‑drug and antibody‑peptide conjugates (ADCs and APCs).
• Exposure to complex biologics formats and developability assessments.
• Knowledge of AI/ML‑based approaches to protein design.
• Experience with scripting or data analysis tools (e.g. Python, R).
• Experience contributing to publications or patents.

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.