Principal Research Scientist I, Process Chemistry (Biocatalysis)
$124,500–$236,500 year
On-siteNorth Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Contribute to the development of biocatalytic processes for the scalable synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), focusing on enzyme discovery, directed evolution campaigns, and the application of AI/ML tools for reaction optimization. Identify and design enzymes using recombinant DNA techniques and heterologous protein expression to engineer biocatalysts with improved activity, selectivity, and stability. Leverage high-throughput experimentation platforms and data science approaches to accelerate screening cycles for small molecules, peptides, and antibody-drug conjugates. Participate in or lead project teams to solve complex synthetic problems while authoring technical reports, patents, and regulatory documents. Adhere to corporate GxP compliance and safety standards throughout process development and characterization efforts.
Required Qualifications
- Deep expertise in biocatalysis
- A strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry
- The technical versatility to integrate modern computational and high-throughput experimentation tools into process development
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD Degree in organic chemistry
- 14+ (BS), 12+ (MS) or 6+ (PhD) years of experience
- Demonstrated hands-on experience in biocatalysis, including enzyme screening, characterization, and application to synthetic transformations
- Proficiency in recombinant DNA techniques and protein expression for enzyme production and engineering
- Experience with high-throughput experimentation (HTE) platforms and data analysis workflows for rapid enzyme identification and reaction optimization
- Demonstrated ability to employ AI/ML and data science approaches to solve complex chemical synthesis problems
- Demonstrated ability in innovating new chemical and automation technologies
- Proven scientific leadership
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills for facilitating collaborations
- Experience in synthetic molecule process development
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