Delivery (Lipid/Polymer) Chemist, Senior Scientist

Do you have a passion for Science? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the place for you!

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

About AstraZeneca in Waltham, MA:

Our Waltham, Massachusetts facility develops life changing small-molecule research in North America, with innovative laboratories at the Gatehouse Park BioHub, just west of the city center. Our BioHub facility supports a bold new R&D initiative, which fosters life science discoveries and the exchange of ideas. Here, we play host to some of the most ground breaking 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. With a shuttle bus to and from Alewife station, the location provides you the ability to work in the heart of one of the world's most vibrant research centers.

Our Waltham site offers a variety of amenities to help book productivity and help keep our employees happy and engaged. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service cafeteria and copy center. This is where you'll find newly-designed, activity-based work spaces to suit a variety of working styles while increasing collaboration between teams and the greater research community.

Summary of the group:

Pharmaceutical Sciences is a department within AstraZeneca Biopharmaceuticals R&D with a mission to transform molecules into investigational medicines, meeting the unmet needs of future patients. Advanced Drug Delivery is a department within Pharmaceutical Sciences. Our portfolio of projects spans from traditional small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides to RNA-based therapeutics across AstraZeneca's therapy areas and our mission is to transform diverse modalities into investigational medicines.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

We are looking for a highly motivated chemist with a strong foundation in the delivery sciences to join the dynamic Advanced Drug Delivery group, engaging in the new modality projects in AstraZeneca's pipeline. The main responsibilities for this role include:

• Designing and synthesizing lipids for lipid nano-particle based delivery platform with minimum supervision

• Analyzing and characterizing lipids and lipid nanoparticles with appropriate technologies; Generating, evaluating and reporting data clearly and reliably

• Acting as the delivery chemist/formulation subject matter expert on the delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics; Providing data interpretation and making recommendations to project teams and other stakeholders

• Collaborating with other Advanced Drug Delivery teams in Sweden & the UK

• Clearly communicating data at internal AstraZeneca meetings and occasionally at external meetings

Education & Experience Requirements:

Education: PhD degree in Polymer Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related scientific fields

Experience: 0+ years of post-graduation experience in a pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology environment

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated ability in designing and optimizing synthetic strategies and approaches of lipids and/or polymers

• Proficiency with analytical and physicochemical characterization of novel materials (e.g. NMR, LC/MS, LC/CAD, particle sizer, various separation technologies)

• Knowledge of novel delivery technologies including but not limited to microspheres, lipid based formulation, nanoparticles

• Track record of scientific excellence in terms of scientific publications, patents, and/or conference presentations

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Knowledge of new modalities (e.g. oligonucleotides, RNA, DNA, peptides, proteins)

Desired skills

• Experience with new modalities (e.g. oligonucleotides, RNA, DNA, peptides, proteins) formulation

• Experience with super fluid chromatography (SFC) is a plus

• Experience with novel excipient chemistry and bio-conjugation

About AstraZeneca

We are a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business and our innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. We push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. We follow the science. We put patients first. We play to win. We do the right thing. We are entrepreneurial.

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