Senior Scientist - Protein Biochemist

About This Role

This vital role involves designing, planning, and executing the generation of key enabling reagents to support the structure determination of target molecules using X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). You will work closely with structural biologists within the group to advance drug discovery efforts. The position suits a professional researcher with strong interpersonal and communication skills, who can apply their knowledge to new areas of study in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Be actively involved in the design and execution of construct design, molecular cloning, and protein expression strategies with the Amgen Discovery Protein Sciences team and/or CROs
• Design and execute purification strategies to support the structure determination of drug targets in complex with therapeutic molecules
• Work closely with structural biologists to generate high-quality protein samples for structural biology techniques, particularly X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM
• Develop and optimize purification protocols and reagents, ensuring high protein purity, homogeneity, and stability for structural studies
• Use biochemical and biophysical techniques (e.g., SDS-PAGE, Western blot, spectrophotometry, SEC-MALS, SPR, mass spectrometry) to assess protein quality and stability
• Collaborate with team members to provide structural biology insights into the mechanism of action (MOA) of target proteins
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring they are completed within timelines while meeting high-quality standards
• Present research findings effectively in both written and oral formats for internal teams and external collaborators in a timely and transparent manner
• Continuously troubleshoot and optimize experimental workflows, applying creative solutions to overcome challenges in protein production and purification

Requirements

• Doctorate degree PhD OR PharmD OR MD [and relevant post-doc where applicable]
• OR Master’s degree and 3 years of Molecular, Structural Biology experience
• OR Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of Molecular, Structural Biology experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in expression, purification, and quality assessment of challenging recombinant proteins, with a track record of producing material suitable for cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, or other structural biology applications
• Strong hands-on experience with membrane proteins, including GPCRs; experience with other challenging protein classes is also highly valued
• Deep understanding of protein stability, folding, homogeneity, and aggregation, with a hypothesis-driven approach to troubleshooting low expression, instability, heterogeneity, aggregation, or poor complex formation