Associate Scientist - Viral Clearance

About AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD:

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 crafting 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 increasing collaboration between team

Summary of the group:

BioPharmaceutical Development (BPD) department supports the advancement of innovative biologics across AZ portfolio, including early research to late-stage development. Within BPD, Process and Analytical Sciences (PAS) develops purification processes and analytical methods for biologic products. The team is also responsible for technology transfers into manufacturing and preparing CMC documentation for regulatory submissions. The team actively implements novel technologies to advance production platform capabilities for high quality therapeutics.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

This role will focus on viral clearance, part of the protein purification development function in the PAS department. The major responsibilities include:

• Design and execute studies to demonstrate virus removal or inactivation capabilities for protein purification unit operations, initially with guidance and gradually become independent.
• In collaboration with existing team members, plan studies, manage logistics, documentation, data verification and interpretation, report writing, and participate in regulatory submissions.
• Make periodic presentations in group meetings, project team meetings, and in one-on-one situations.
• Support purification process development, technology transfer to manufacturing sites, and production incident resolution as appropriate.
• Participate in new technology evaluations.

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree with 1 – 2 years of relevant industrial experience.

Required Skills:

• Solid knowledge base in protein chemistry and analytical chemistry.
• Some experience in protein purification, including chromatography and filtration methods.
• Prior experience in executing experiments to generate reliable results.
• Knowledge in good laboratory and manufacturing practices.
• Team-player, organized, thoughtful, enthusiastic, passionate about making high quality therapeutics, capable of multitasking.
• Good oral and written communication skills.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in using Unicorn/AKTA system for protein purification.
• Knowledge in protein analytics such as protein quantification, electrophoresis, HPLC, etc.
• Worked in a GLP or GMP environment.
• Practical knowledge of statistics.

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 cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That’s why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn’t mean we’re not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.”

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?

Our Social Media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1603/

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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.