R&D Scientist

Lonza•Houston, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The purpose of this role is to drive innovation in the development of novel scalable viral vector production platforms for use in in vivo and ex vivo gene therapy applications. The successful candidate will support in identifying, developing and implementing viral vector production technologies, using resources internal and external to Lonza, in order to support in creating scalable robust solutions to viral production bottlenecks. This hands-on bioprocess scientist will design and execute experiments, develop metrics for evaluating results and technologies and procure equipment. The incumbent will be responsible for acquiring, analyzing, and communicating experimental data in cross-functional fashion.

Requirements

Ph.D. degree in molecular virology/biology with 0-4 years' experience in industry, or relevant virus research experience in academia evidenced by peer-reviewed publications.
Skilled in plasmid vector design, cell line engineering, viral production, transfection, Western blot, qPCR/ddPCR, flow cytometry and cell-based assays.
Excellent communication skills in oral and written English.
The ability to thrive in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment is essential.
Independence and strong work ethic are a must.

Responsibilities

Plan, design and execute the experiments, including but not limited to cell culture, transfection, viral transduction/infection and analytical work associated with the project.
Collect and analyze the data, interpret the results and evaluate next steps in experimental design.
Effectively communicate the data and project progress regularly within R&D and across the key stakeholders/departments such as process development and commercial development.
Capable of achieving deliverables on-time and high-quality.
Maintains accurate and up to date records, including appropriate lab notebook recordings.
Actively work on improving viral vector designs for the platforms, to attract and anchor new clients together with cross-functional teams.
Actively propose and test new ideas, capture and protect intellectual property with patent applications in order to create long-term competitive technology advantages for Lonza CGT business.
Attend meetings and conferences to present R&D work and keep up with the latest technology in cell and gene therapy regarding the viral vector manufacturing and analytics.