Senior Scientist, Drug Delivery

Do you have a passion for Science? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the one for you! At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person. About AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD: Our Gaithersburg, Maryland facility creates life-changing medicines for people around the world. This campus employs more than 3,500 experts in our field and is only a short drive from Washington, DC. This modern and vibrant scientific campus is the home of R&D and Oncology in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most cutting-edge technology and lab spaces, all designed to inspire collaboration and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration. The Gaithersburg site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees happy and healthy. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service cafeteria and copy center. This is where you’ll find newly-designed, activity-based work spaces to suit a variety of working styles while growing collaboration between teams. Summary of the group: The Drug Delivery team is a part of the Dosage Form Design and Development group of Biopharmaceutical Development. The Drug Delivery team’s purpose is to improve patients’ lives by ensuring AstraZeneca’s therapies are as safe, effective, and convenient as possible through the use of technologies that target delivery of medicines to the site of action and optimize their effective half-life. This purpose is realized through application of a wide range of scientific fields converging to link between formulation and device capabilities and providing leadership from early research through CMC activities for these technologies. Areas of focus include: Targeted delivery to specific cells, tissues, or organs to address previously undruggable targets and realize the potential of In Vivo Expressed Biologics Controlled release of pharmaceutical agents to optimize time in the therapeutic window, minimize dosing frequency and ultimately patient burden Localized delivery to optimize concentration at the desired target while minimizing off-site activity, systemic toxicity, and patient side effects Strategic Insight for Technology Development in Dosage Form Design and Development Main Duties & Responsibilities: Lead the development of customized drug delivery formulations for non-viral delivery of various nucleic acids to support several therapeutic areas Support and lead the development of drug delivery platforms to enable In Vivo Expressed Biologics and Cell Programming Support and lead implementation of capabilities to enable production of nanoparticle formulations to support preclinical studies including NHP studies Provide technical expertise, design and complete experiments, analyze and present experimental data and sound recommendations Act as SME in project teams and across the organization Identification and evaluation of external technologies to support intracellular delivery of several modalities Education & Experience Requirements: Ph.D degree in a relevant subject area (such as Biopharmaceutics, Pharmaceutics, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacokinetics or Drug Delivery) and 0 years of experience MS and 8 or BS and 10 years of industrial experience in relevant areas Required Skills: Relevant academic or industrial experience within drug delivery formulations for nucleic acid delivery (nanoparticle delivery technologies) Practical experience with nanoparticle formulation using various fabrication processes, analytical characterization and accurate data reporting Practical experience in the use of robotics and automation to support nanoparticle formulation screening, characterization, and lead identification. Relevant experience with end-to-end nanoparticle and microparticle production processes for encapsulation of nucleic acids and biologics Good understanding of biopharmaceutics and application of drug delivery to biopharmaceutical development. Flexibility and the ability to adjust to changing priorities and operate in a fast-paced industry environment. Excellent oral and written communication skills; experience working in multidisciplinary teams Desired Skills: AI & Machine Learning application to nucleic acid nanoparticle formulation design and implementation of frameworks to support decision making Track record of scientific competence in terms of publications, presentations and networking activities. Good understanding/knowledge of the overall drug development process and knowledge of CMC attributes that define formulation robustness. Why AstraZeneca? 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 entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognising their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organisation to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering groundbreaking methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey. So, what’s next! Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available and we hope it’s yours. Where can I find out more? Check out our landing page for more information on our BPD group https://careers.astrazeneca.com/bpd Our Social Media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1603/ Follow AstraZeneca on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/astrazenecacareers/ Follow AstraZeneca on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/astrazeneca_careers/?hl=en AstraZeneca has taken critical steps to protecting colleagues, loved ones, and patients from COVID-19 and its variants. COVID-19 vaccination is required for all US employees, and weekly PCR COVID-19 testing is required for those who are unvaccinated or have an approved accommodation. Date Posted 20-Mar-2023 Closing Date AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements. AstraZeneca requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 but will consider requests for reasonable accommodations as required by applicable law. AstraZeneca is an exciting global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company. We’re inspired by what science can do. Driven by the desire to meet unmet patient needs in our core therapeutic areas. Bold in our thinking. Proactive in pursuing discoveries beyond imagination. At sites across the world, we bring teams together in a spirit of collaboration to turn great ideas into life-changing medicines – strengthening our product portfolio and harnessing the potential of a pipeline across all stages of the drug development process. You’ll be part of a team that’s rolling back the frontiers of science to turn yesterday’s impossible into the normal of tomorrow. So, if you share our focus and passion, join us and make a difference to patients – and in return, we’ll help you develop way beyond what you thought possible.