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Senior Associate Scientist, Virology

Employer
Pfizer
Location
Pearl River, New York
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Aug 25, 2022

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Discipline
Life Sciences, Virology, Physical Sciences, Chemistry
Position Type
Full Time
Job Type
Staff Scientist
Organization Type
All Industry, Pharma
Why Patients Need You

Everything we do, every day, is in line with an unwavering commitment to the quality and the delivery of safe and effective products to patients. Our science and risk-based compliant quality culture is flexible, innovative, and customer oriented. Whether you are involved in development, maintenance, compliance or analysis through research programs, your contribution will directly impact patients.

What You Will Achieve

The incumbent will join the Early Bioprocess Development (EBPD) effort to develop methods to optimize virus propagation and production to support vaccine development and clinical testing. The primary purpose of the position is to establish and optimize appropriate virus model and their host cells for higher titer, scale and consistency. The position requires some experience in virology, molecular biology, reverse genetic engineering, immunology, and cell biology. The scope of responsibility includes identify/generation of viruses for upstream process development and clinical testing; genetic engineering of viruses or host cells to achieve higher titer, faster growth, and better scalability; maintenance of virus stock and documentation of strain passage and variation. Careful documentation of work and effective presentation of data is required.

How You Will Achieve It
  • Help establish optimal combinations of virus, cell lines and propagation methods to assure consistent supply of virus for clinical testing
  • Help develop different types of assays such as molecular, biochemical, biophysical, or biological assays to identify/characterize viruses
  • Help establish use of reporter systems as alternatives to more conventional assays and enumeration methods
  • Help establish BSL-2 viral propagation models that inform BSL-3 methods
  • Keep track of virus source, passage history and sequence variation
  • Help identify/engineer/optimize host cell line for better titer, scalability, and consistency
  • Adaptation of adherent host cell into suspension culture for higher virus productivity and consistency
  • Collaborate with colleagues within EBPD including Upstream process development, Purification, Analytical, and Formulation Development groups
  • Establish relationships and collaborative working alliances outside of Vaccines Early Bioprocess development such as vaccine research and high throughput clinical testing
  • Evaluation and implement new technologies to improve virus propagation
  • Perform timely notebook entries and review for completed experiments.


Qualifications

Must-Have
  • MS/BS degree in virology, microbiology, immunology, cell biology, or other biology related majors. MS degree or BS degree with >3 years of virology related experience in academia/biotech/pharmaceutical industry.
  • Background in general virology, molecular virology, immunology, cell biology and assay development
  • Experience in virus propagation, and cell line engineering
  • Hands on experience in molecular virology
  • Familiar with molecular, biochemical, biophysical and cell-based assays including qRT-PCR, Octet, HA assay, FFA, TCID50, plaque assay, ELISA, Western, HPLC, BCA, fluorescence and UV spectroscopy, cytotoxicity etc.


Nice to Have
  • BSL-3 lab experience
  • Knowledge and experience with next generation sequencing and bioinformatics to track virus lineage


PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
  • The ability to make aseptic transfers and perform the relevant laboratory functions.
  • Mental requirements are a detailed understanding of the scientific subject matter, an ability to make scientific judgments and an ability to perform complex data analysis.


NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS
  • Works irregular hours (weekends and outside of 9-5 format) as experiments warrant
  • Work Location Assignment:On Premise


Other Job Details:
  • Relocation support available


#LI-PFE

Pfizer requires all U.S. new hires to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the first date of employment. As required by applicable law, Pfizer will consider requests for Reasonable Accommodations.

Sunshine Act

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider's name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & Employment Eligibility

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 work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.

Research and Development

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