Principal Research Scientist I, Molecular Core / Antibody Discovery (Leadership Role)

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn .

The Biologics Generation Group within Global Biologics is seeking an accomplished highly motivated principal research scientist to join the antibody discovery team at AbbVie Bioresearch Center (ABC). The ABC site, based in Worcester, MA, offers the unique setting where Biologics drug discovery, development and manufacturing coexist in one location. Our team interacts with multidisciplinary groups across AbbVie focused on developing therapies for Immunology, Neurology, Oncology and Virology. We utilize innovative approaches for antibody discovery including in vivo and vitro technologies, custom immunization strategies, advanced multiplex screening assays and best-in-class automation platforms to enable successful antibody discovery against complex targets.

The successful candidate will be effectively function as a principle investigator of molecular core, generating original technical ideas and research strategies, and managing all core activities. The molecular core is responsible for next generation sequencing (NGS) and analysis of antibodies isolated through in vitro and in vivo approaches, including antibodies isolated directly from primary single cells, to enable the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies for AbbVie's core therapeutics areas. The candidate will also be tasked with optimization and automation of molecular biology workflows and further enhancement in-house sequencing capabilities including CITE-Seq and 10X Genomics. The candidate will leverage expertise to develop and implement research to gain a mechanistic understanding of the molecular pharmacology of Biologics molecules. This is an exciting opportunity to drive antibody discovery programs within a multidisciplinary research group in innovative, fast-paced team environment.

Qualifications

Education:

• PhD or equivalent in immunology, molecular biology, protein/antibody engineering or related fields with typically 6+ years of experience; or Master's Degree or equivalent with typically 12+ years of experience; or Bachelor's Degree or equivalent with typically 14+ years of experience.

Required:

• Expertise in library preparation and QC for NGS, utilizing the Illumina MiSeq platform
• Hands-on experience with single-cell sample preparation, sequencing, and analysis
• Experience with tailoring and performing Sanger sequencing
• Knowledge of automation platforms suitable for molecular biology workflows
• Experience with analysis of NGS data sets; especially data sets made up of antibody sequences
• Demonstrated ability to provide innovative solutions to sequencing and molecular biology challenges
• Exhibit a can-do attitude with excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven ability to mentor/supervise a team a n d eval u ate t h e p erf o rma n ce o f t h o se i n d ivid u als; is acc o un tab l e for t h e effecti v e p erf o rma n ce o f t h e team/i n d ivid u als

Preferred:

• Familiarity with CITE-Seq and 10X Genomic
• Expertise in immunoglobulin genetics and antibody biology
• Experience in evaluating stable cell transcript quality and purity
• Familiarity with bioinformatic analysis

Key AbbVie Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of the team to enable higher performance.
• Learns fast, grasps the "essence" and can change the course quickly where indicated.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.

Significant Work Activities
Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day)
Travel
No
Job Type
Experienced
Schedule
Full-time
Job Level Code
M
Equal Employment Opportunity
At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.