Principal Scientist, Structural Biology

Novartis • San Diego, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Scientist with deep expertise in Structural Biology to join our team in San Diego, CA. This is a highly collaborative and hands-on role spanning end-to-end workflows from protein construct design and protein production through high-resolution structure determination, contributing directly to drug discovery programs across multiple therapeutic areas. Internal Job Title: Principal Scientist I/II Location: onsite, San Diego, CA #LI-Onsite About the Role: At Novartis, we are reimagining medicine through scientific excellence and innovation. Within the Discovery Sciences organization, the Protein Sciences group plays a pivotal role in advancing early-stage drug discovery by enabling deep structural and functional insights into therapeutic targets. Structural Biology is a cornerstone capability, enabling structure-guided drug discovery for some of the most challenging and high-impact targets in medicine. This is a unique opportunity to join a world-class structural biology team within one of the largest and most innovative pharmaceutical companies. You’ll have access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, highly skilled and collaborative colleagues, and the chance to make meaningful contributions to the discovery and development of life-changing medicines.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, or a related field with over 5 years of relevant experience in X-ray crystallography within either industrial or academic settings
• Demonstrated expertise in protein expression across E. coli, insect, and mammalian expression systems, as well as extensive experience in protein purification and characterization
• Proven track record in application of X-ray crystallography to characterize protein-ligand and protein-protein complexes, including crystallization screening and optimization, data processing, structure refinement and analysis.
• Outstanding communication skills, strong ability to collaborate within multidisciplinary teams, and ability to work in a fast-paced, goal-driven environment.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of AI/ML tools for structural biology
• Experience with biochemical assays and biophysical methods
• Experience with Cryo-EM is a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute protein production and X-ray crystallography to elucidate protein-small molecule, protein-peptide, and/or protein-protein interactions, supporting drug discovery initiatives
• Successfully drive gene-to-structural small molecule drug discovery projects
• Leverage knowledge in protein production and structural biology to characterize structure-function relationships, investigate novel mechanisms of action, and address complex scientific questions
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including protein scientists, biophysicists, chemists, and computational modelers, to facilitate structure-based drug design
• Advance our initiatives and drug discovery programs by leveraging innovative approaches, such as applications of AI.

Benefits

• health, life and disability benefits
• a 401(k) with company contribution and match
• a variety of other benefits
• a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree