COMPLETE Senior Principal Scientist, Lab Head - In Vitro Antibody Discovery - Cambridge

Job Description

The Large Molecule Research organization at Sanofi (Cambridge, USA) is seeking a Senior Principal Scientist, Lab Head to lead a research group composed of PhD and non-PhD scientists focused on two key activities: (1) generation of novel antibody drugs using in vitro antibody discovery platforms delivering into and enriching a competitive pipeline in Oncology, Immunology & Inflammation, and Rare & Neuroscience; and (2) developing new technologies to advance the discovery and lead optimization of antibodies contributing to our First-in-Class, Best-in-Class portfolio. The successful candidate will be seen as a highly experienced scientific leader with deep expertise in discovering antibodies involving phage-to-yeast libraries coupled with machine learning and other in silico tools. The candidate will lead his/her research teams and collaborate across all therapeutic areas at Sanofi, as well as other Research Platforms (e.g., Nanobody, Translational Sciences, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of PhD and non-PhD scientists directly as well as via matrix management to execute on discovering antibodies and or other biologic building blocks to support Sanofi’s pipeline of biologic drugs.

• Provide scientific leadership and technical guidance to build a robust biotherapeutics portfolio, including guidance on discovery campaign screening strategies, triaging across discovery platforms, setting criteria for molecule progression, and management of external/internal partners.

• Continuously look at opportunities to improve the efficiency and success of antibody discovery workflows.

• Develop new technologies and platforms to stay at the cutting edge, incorporate new technologies. and support integration of new technical innovations across the global antibody discovery teams.

• Oversee continuous modernization of lab infrastructure, including establishment of streamlined lab and data workflows, and supporting data management objectives.

• Support the further development of computational expertise within the team and workflows.

• Offer scientific leadership and guidance cross-functionally, especially with the Therapeutic Areas, the interplay between understanding the biology of the disease and the molecule platforms.

• Assist business development in assessing in and out-licensing opportunities.

• Contribute to patent filings and publications and present research finding to various audiences.

• Identify opportunities for growth of the group and department into new areas to foster efficiency.

• Present findings in different forums with clarity and line of sight

Must have qualifications

• Ph.D. and postdoctoral work in Biochemistry, Immunology , Molecular & Cell Biology or similar fields with 8+ years of experience leading a high performing multidisciplinary antibody drug discovery team.

• Extensive experience working with all major in vitro antibody discovery and optimization platforms.

• Recognized scientific leader in the field of antibody discovery with consistent publications in top-tier journals, presentations at key scientific conferences.

• Exceptional communication skills, innovative mindset and ready to step out of the box for creating and exploring new ideas, engaged and passionate about antibody drug discovery with a zeal to take ownership and accountability.

• Knowledgeable in computational methods employed during antibody discovery and engineering (e.g., NGS sequence and analysis, computational library design, use of in silico developability prediction methods, etc.).

• Strong publication history and active networking within the antibody discovery and engineering community.

• Hands-on experience with high throughput methods employed end-to-end to discover and characterize antibodies.

Additional qualifications

• Experience with and/or interest for artificial intelligence-based discovery of antibodies.

• Experience in alternative to antibody scaffolds as biologic drugs or as building blocks for multi-specific antibody generation.

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

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At Sanofi diversity and inclusion is foundational to how we operate and embedded in our Core Values. We recognize to truly tap into the richness diversity brings we must lead with inclusion and have a workplace where those differences can thrive and be leveraged to empower the lives of our colleagues, patients and customers. We respect and celebrate the diversity of our people, their backgrounds and experiences and provide equal opportunity for all.