Postdoctoral Fellow – High Concentration Protein Formulations, Biopharmaceutical Development Full-time NEW

Postdoctoral Fellow – High Concentration Protein Formulations, Biopharmaceutical Development

Location: Gaithersburg, US

Department: Biopharmaceuticals

Our Postdoc Programme is for self-motivated individuals looking to take on interesting, high impact projects in a collaborative, challenging and reputable environment. Do you have expertise in, and passion for, biophysics, analytics, and formulation development? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact the development of high concentration patient-centric formulations in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then join the Formulation Sciences department at AstraZeneca and unlock the power of what science can do.

Therapeutical Area Description:

The BioPharmaceutical Development team is a fully integrated global organization. We are passionate and proud of what we do, we're developing our deep pipeline of new therapeutics by delivering projects from early research to late-stage development. We combine a bold ambition with huge potential. Our innovative team develops high-yielding, efficient production processes for even the most challenging and novel molecules. We're providing clinical products with stable formulations and developing a range of drug delivery options. In combination with advanced device development, we're creating medicines that patients want to use. Contribute to our growth at this exciting time and you'll be immersing yourself in cutting-edge science you won't find everywhere, in a way you won't find anywhere.

Research Supervisor:

Vivek Prabhu, Polymers and Complex Fluids group leader, NIST

Job Summary:

In this exciting Postdoctoral Fellow position, you'll research and develop advanced analytical tools to characterize protein-protein interactions in ultra-high concentration liquid formulations. This project is supported by the Dosage Form Design and Development (DFDD) group that develops pharmaceutically stable, market competitive, user-centric biopharmaceutical dosage forms for biologics, including drug products, drug delivery systems, and delivery devices for clinical and commercial use. The Formulation Sciences team develops robust formulations and optimizes the drug product presentation to deliver patient-centric medicines.

Project Focus:

This project will conduct pioneering research in the development of ultra-high concentration formulations by understanding the role of protein-protein interactions in crowded environments. Our Postdoc will collaborate with experienced AZ interdisciplinary scientists with diverse set backgrounds, and an exceptional research mentor and his team, to develop advanced scattering techniques and appropriate biophysical methods to characterize proteins at ultra-high concentrations. In addition, the experimental data will be analyzed through computational models to enable predictions of protein-protein interactions.

Supported by Monica Castellanos, Associate Director at AstraZeneca, you'll also receive research mentorship and guidance from Vivek Prabhu, Group Leader, Polymers and Complex Fluids at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Our Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct ground-breaking research in a state-of-the-art laboratory that is focused on the development of biotherapeutic drug substance and drug product designs, formulations and fill-finish process for therapeutic proteins. You will use advanced scattering techniques to underpin the role of protein-protein interactions, and work with a cross-functional team to develop models that enable predictions of such interactions in liquid formulations at high concentration.

• Perform biophysical characterization and/or analytical assays in support of protein solubility, stability, elucidation of protein degradation mechanisms.

• Lead and drive the project under the supervision of cross-functional AstraZeneca team and in collaboration with external partners.

• Presenting scientific findings to both internal audiences within the company and external scientific community.

• Plan, write, publish, and present high-quality scientific papers and technical reports.

Essential Qualifications / Education:

• PhD degree in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutics, chemical/biochemical engineering or related field

• A maximum of 4 years of postdoctoral experience

• Experience with scattering techniques, such as static and dynamic light scattering, X-ray and/or neutron scattering

• Extensive knowledge of biophysical characterization of proteins

• Basic/working knowledge of programming/coding language and computational models

Desirable Requirements:

• Knowledge of one or more of the following areas is a plus, but not required: formulation development, rheology, spectroscopy techniques, polymer physics, machine learning, or data science

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Strong planning, organizational, and time management skills

• Ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary, research environment

Length of Program guide: This opportunity is tailored for PhD-qualified students aiming to undertake research within the industry, potentially lasting up to three years. It is ideal for those looking to advance their careers while preserving strong connections to academia. Participants are encouraged to continue enhancing their scientific profiles through publications and conference attendance.