Senior Scientist, Protein Production

Summary

Come help us discover innovative therapeutic breakthroughs for patients! We are seeking a passionate, curious, and collaborative protein scientist to join our Protein Sciences group, an interdisciplinary team that has expertise in protein chemistry, enzymology, biophysics, NMR, X-ray crystallography, and electron microscopy.

Internal

Job Title:

Senior Scientist I/II

Location: onsite, San Diego, CA

As a Protein Scientist, you will focus primarily on the production of proteins to enable structure-guided drug discovery for multiple disease areas. Your responsibilities will include designing protein constructs, carrying out expression in various cell systems, developing methodologies for purification, and protein characterization using biophysical and structural techniques. You will closely collaborate with colleagues within our group and across disease areas to tackle challenging drug discovery projects, contributing to the advancement of early-stage drug development.

• Develop and execute protocols to generate high-quality protein reagents for small molecule screening, hit validation, and structural biology studies of protein-small molecule complexes.
• Design protein constructs based on literature and AI-based structure prediction tools.
• Express proteins in mammalian and insect cell systems.
• Purify proteins using various chromatography techniques and FPLC equipment.
• Collaborate with colleagues to characterize protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions using biophysical and structural biology techniques.
• Apply critical thinking to troubleshoot experiments and design new approaches.
• Maintain a high level of professional expertise through familiarity with scientific literature and accurate and detailed record keeping.
• Work both independently and collaboratively as part of multidisciplinary teams.
• Present and communicate results with protein science colleagues and project teams.

• BS/MS degree in biochemistry, life sciences, molecular biology or related field with at least 5+ years of relevant research laboratory experience.
• Proven in-depth knowledge with hands‑on experience in recombinant protein construct design and expression, including insect cell and mammalian expression systems.
• Proficiency in different protein purification techniques such as affinity, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography using FPLC or HPLC systems.
• Understanding of protein characterization as well as protein‑ligand interactions using biophysical methods (e.g., SPR, DSF, ITC, LC/MS).
• Demonstrated critical thinking and troubleshooting ability when handling challenging proteins such as aggregated proteins, multicomponent complexes, or membrane proteins.
• Passionate about biomedical research and drug discovery. Motivated to learn new techniques in protein biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, and ability to work effectively in a matrix team environment.

• Experience in protein crystallography, bio‑NMR, or cryo‑EM, either directly or working closely with others.
• Experience in biophysical methods to characterize protein‑protein or protein‑ligand interactions.

The salary for this position is expected to range between $93,800 and $174,200 per year for Senior Scientist I, and $98,700 and $183,300 for Senior Scientist II. The final salary offered is determined based on relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis it will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.

Your compensation will include a performance‑based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.

US‑based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time‑off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

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