Senior Scientist, Cell Therapy

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

19h

About The Position

We are seeking a highly-motivated and independent Senior Scientist with expertise in Cellular Therapy, Immunology, and/ or Immuno-Oncology and demonstrated experience in Computational Biology to join our rapidly growing Cell Therapy Team. In this role you will make use of your in vitro experience in T cell immunology and your knowledge of computational models and large-scale -omic datasets to contribute to the advancement of innovative Cell Therapy products by designing and conducting laboratory experiments, developing methodology, and generating and interpreting scientific data in a highly collaborative environment.

Requirements

• Senior Scientist: PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. Biology, Immunology, Immuno-Oncology, Biomedical Engineering) with a minimum of 2 years of demonstrated experience in Computational Biology, Data Science, and/ or Computer Science
• Extensive in vitro skillset with a well-developed understanding of molecular and cellular biology, immunological assays, and cell transfection/ transduction, and advanced cell culture techniques
• Ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments, and to review, analyse, and interpret results
• Proficiency in Python and/or R
• Expertise in -omics technologies, and ability to process large-scale biological datasets (e.g. single-cell/spatial transcriptomics, in-house proprietary data sources such as in vitro or in vivo data)
• Understanding of AI and predictive modelling tools

Nice To Haves

• Experience with genome editing technologies (CRISPR/ Cas9, base-editing, transposons, etc.)
• Hands-on experience in T-cell functional characterization assays such as in vitro cytotoxicity, proliferation, cytokine measurement, and multi-parameter flow cytometry
• Basic experience developing cellular therapies including CAR-T/ CAR-NK, TCR-T, and/ or TIL therapies
• Background in drug discovery and development in the pharmaceutical industry
• Prior experience in UNIX-based systems and high-performance computing (e.g. SLURM) with applications to large-scale data analysis and management
• Experience developing and implementing machine learning models
• In vivo skillset including animal handling, mouse tumour models, standard routes of dosing and engraftment, and tissue processing

Responsibilities

• Conducts routine drug discovery research experiments by applying the techniques of molecular and cellular biology, communicates the results to team members, and is involved in the interpretation of data
• Conducts hands-on in vitro research and contributes to the plans and designs of in vitro and in vivo studies
• Supports a team and works collaboratively in a matrix environment
• Assesses and reports data, with little or no guidance, in a clear and concise manner, while developing an understanding of its implications within the overall context of drug discovery
• Uses their knowledge of coding, data processing, and AI platforms/ machine learning to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data sources relevant to the development of new therapies
• Provides technical instruction to the team and allocates administrative work where possible
• Communicates and shares information between distinct projects within the bioscience function and across other functions as required
• Ensures own work, and work of peers, is compliant with Safety, Health and Environment standards and all other relevant internal AstraZeneca standards and external regulations

What This Job Offers

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