Senior Scientist

Senior Scientist

Location: Cambridge, MA, USA (hybrid 3x a week)

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being daring - finding those moments and recognizing their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organization to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering innovative methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

About our Cambridge, MA, USA site:

Our newly opened global research hub in the heart of Kendall Square, in Cambridge, MA, brings the most creative colleagues, technologies, and amenities to the research done at AstraZeneca. The site brings together diverse scientific and operational fields under one roof, and boasts innovative laboratories, office spaces, and collaboration spaces. This includes balconies on each floor, fully VC-enable conference rooms, flexible work setups in all office spaces, in-house café and dining options, and panoramic views of Cambridge and Boston. Our new site sits at the nexus of the biotech and academic research hub of Boston/Cambridge and enables deep connections to the broader community committed to a better understanding of, and discovery of novel treatments for, devastating diseases impacting millions of patients around the world.

Introduction to the role:

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist with strong scientific and strategic experience in oncology research to join our team in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. As a Senior Scientist in Oncology Targeted Discovery within the Oncology R&D Department, you will be a key contributor on a team focused on supporting oncology projects through the drug discovery process. You will bring your theoretical and practical expertise in cancer biology to discover medicines that will have direct impact on the future of antibody drug conjugate therapeutics.

What you’ll be doing:

• You will join a team of laboratory-based scientists who design, conduct and analyze in vitro experiments to evaluate candidate drug targets, identify novel targets for ADC payloads, and lead projects from target ID to validation.
• Identifying and onboarding relevant disease models, identifying biomarkers of target engagement, evaluating the pharmacologic effects of experimental compounds in cancer cells and/or cell-free assays, and leading project teams through the early discovery process and governance interactions.
• Review emerging literature and internal data to identify new targets and contribute to target nomination, evaluation, and validation activities.
• Develop, run, and analyze in vitro studies to assess candidate drug targets and their relevance to cancer-cell function. Select appropriate experimental approaches and interpret results in the context of project goals.
• Discover and evaluate novel targets for ADC payloads, integrating experimental findings with emerging literature and internal data to support target nomination, evaluation, and validation.
• Bring together experimental results, internal data, and relevant literature to identify promising targets, understand mechanisms of action, and help uncover biomarkers of drug response or resistance.
• Work closely with colleagues from diverse scientific and functional backgrounds, contributing your expertise and helping align research activities with broader project objectives.

Basic Qualifications:

• MS Degree with 6+ years of industry experience in Biology, Oncology, Cell/Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology or related scientific area OR PhD and 2+ years industry research experience in Biology, Oncology, Cell/Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology or related scientific area; or postdoctoral training
• Experience in industry or academia developing, running, and/or overseeing in vitro studies for the analysis of human tumor cell function (e.g. cell culture, cell signaling bioassays, high-content imaging, cell death measurement, live-cell reporters, and mRNA/protein expression assays in primary or cell line cultures)
• Strong background and experience in cancer biology, cell biology, genetics, cell signaling, and molecular biology. Depth of understanding of solid tumor and hematology cancer models
• Molecular biology skills including assessment of intracellular signaling and generation of engineered cell lines (CRISPR knock-out/knock-in), generation of cell-based reporter assays, experience with genetic perturbation technologies (siRNA/shRNA/overexpression), and generation and analysis of transcriptomic data
• Fluency generating, interpretating, and communicating large datasets (e.g. multi-omics data, CRISPR screening, cell line panel screening, human genetic data) to identify novel candidate drug targets, biomarkers of response and resistance to cancer drugs, and mechanism of action of cancer therapies

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