Senior Scientist/Scientist, Plasmid Process (Strain Engineering)

Job Summary

ReciBioPharm, the biologics business unit of ReciPharm AB, is seeking a talented individual with background in Strain Engineering & Development to join our Plasmid Upstream Process Development team in Nucleic Acid PD Group in Watertwon, MA. The Sr. Scientist/Scientist will be accountable for developing bacterial cell line for plasmid DNA production and quality control of plasmid DNA product. The candidate will play a critical role in developing a reliable and scalable platform for plasmid DNA production. The ideal candidate must be self-motivated, detail oriented, and inquisitive with relevant expertise in strain engineering, synthetic biology, and/or metabolic engineering.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Working with leadership to develop strategic roadmap generating novel scientific directions for strain development.
• Plasmid construction and optimization for plasmid DNA production.
• Design, develop and screen cell lines for improving the yield and titer of plasmid DNA during coli cultivation.
• Develop SOPs for molecular cloning, tool development, transformation, screening, cell banking, etc.
• Develop quality control methods to ensure the stability of cell line and the quality of plasmid DNA after fermentation.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team, like Down Stream Processing, Tech Transfer, Analytical, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality, to deliver on-time deliverables for platform development and client projects.
• Data analysis and generate data driven conclusions for strain design, development, and optimization.
• Design and execute fermentation process to improve plasmid DNA titer and quality at multiple scales, such as shake flaks, benchtop bioreactor, and pilot scale.
• Establish written procedures for development plans, process reports, SOPs, batch records, data analysis templates, contributions to regulatory submissions, etc.
• Present data and findings within Plasmid Upstream PD team and broader cross-functional teams.
• Provide coaching, training, and oversight of junior team members.
• Organize and maintain integrity of relevant lab materials and SOPs.
• Adhere to good lab practices and ensure safe work environment with continuous improvement.
• Embrace company’s value and culture, result oriented, work with can-do attitude, team player mentality, constantly inject positive energy into the working environment.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required

Education And/Or Experience

• PHD. with 0-3 years of experience; M.S. with 3+ years of relevant industry experience; or B.S. with 5+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Deep understanding of microbial physiology and metabolism, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology.
• Demonstrated academic/industry experience in plasmid assembly and manipulation, sequencing, DNA purification, cell transformation, plasmid construction and architecture optimization.
• Industry experience with coli is highly preferred.
• Experience with bioreactor operation is a plus.
• Excellent oral and scientific writing communication skills.

Language, Mathematical, And/OR Reasoning Ability

• Good verbal and written English communication.
• Good mathematical and computation skills
• Good critical thinking and reasoning skills

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to walk; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• In the performance of the duties of this job the employee is not required to travel
• The employee will be required to communicate using telephone and e-mail.

Work Environment

This will be a laboratory and office-based position that will require some non-standard working hours including early morning or later evening teleconferences to support global prospective and current clients 

Health and Assessment Requirements

No

This position requires a criminal background check and drug screening.