Principal Scientist / Sr. Principal Scientist, Nanotechnology (976889) Cambridge, Massachusetts

Org Marketing Statement
All over the world, Pfizer colleagues are working together to positively impact health for everyone, everywhere. Each position at Pfizer touches and contributes to the success of our business and our world. That’s why, as one of the global leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry, Pfizer is committed to seeking out inspired new talent who share our core values and mission of making the world a healthier place.

Department Marketing Statement
The Rare Disease Research Unit of Pfizer is committed to the development of new therapies to address the unmet medical needs of those individuals with rare and neglected diseases. The unit is building upon Pfizer’s biologics expertise to develop new therapeutics targeting a variety of rare diseases.

Role Description

- Contribute to nanoparticle development for the delivery of nucleic acid-based biologics.
- Explore lipid and polymer-based formulations.
- Design, generate, and test nucleic acid constructions for delivery in vivo.
- Conceive and execute in vivo screening paradigms to measure assess the integrity and potency of biologic formulations.
- Expected to manage internal research collaboration with other Research Units and to identify, coordinate and manage external research relationships with CROs.

Responsibilities
- The key responsibility for this role is to further the understanding of nanoparticle technology and its application for the advancement of biologic therapies at Pfizer.
- The successful candidate will be required to integrate technical knowledge of nanoparticles with a range of potential in vivo application in order to create a working biological system for technical evaluation of new platforms and to evaluate their merits in animal models of disease.
- Create a leadership profile within Research by establishing the best practices for evolving new technology
-Approximately 60% lab based work.

Qualifications
-Ph.D. in chemistry, nucleic acid chemistry, or molecular biology and biochemistry with 5-10 years of industrial experience.
-Knowledge of lipids, lipid biochemistry or synthesis preferred.
-This position requires 60% laboratory work at the bench preparing and evaluating formulations and generating samples for outsourced animal studies.
Knowledge of animal models and the design of experiments for the assessment biologics, e.g. nanoparticles, carrying nucleic acid cargos is essential.

TECHNICAL SKILL REQUIRMENTS
-Knowledge of nanoparticle formulation for in vivo delivery. Knowledge of nucleic acids, their structure, and methods of synthesis by in vitro methods.
- Knowledge of protein structure and function.
- Experience developing ELISAs and analytical methods for studies on proteins and RNA.
-Ability to design lipids and to identify novel lipid structures for delivery.
-Facility with Zetasizer and HPLC chromatography for characterization and purification of proteins and nucleic acids
-Ability to conduct quality assessments of nucleic acid and proteins.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act. All applicants must have authorization to work for Pfizer in the U.S. In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to Pfizer to support the application(s) for temporary visa classification and/or sponsor applications for permanent residence so that a foreign national colleague can accept or remain in a work assignment in the U. S. For certain classes of temporary visas, the resulting work authorization may be specific to Pfizer and the specific job and/or work site. Pfizer may at its business discretion decide to or refrain from obtaining, maintaining and/or extending the temporary visa status and/or sponsoring a colleague for permanent residency and /or employment eligibility, considering factors such as availability of qualified U.S. workers and the colleague’s long-term prospects for securing lawful permanent residence, among other reasons. Employment applicants requiring immigration sponsorship must disclose, when initial application for employment is made, whether or not they are legally authorized to work for Pfizer in the U.S. and, if so, whether that authorization permits them to work in the job they seek. In no case should Pfizer’s support of a colleague’s temporary visa application or sponsorship of a colleague for permanent residence be construed to guarantee success of that application or amend or otherwise invalidate the “at-will” employment relationship between the colleague and Pfizer.

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