Senior Scientist, Antibody Repertoire Sequencing & Discovery at AbbVie — Worcester, MA

The Biotherapeutics and Genetics Medicine department within Discovery Research is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join the Molecular Core team at AbbVie Bioresearch Center (ABC). The ABC site in Worcester, MA, offers a unique setting where Biotherapeutics discovery, development and manufacturing coexist in one location. The Molecular Core partners with multidisciplinary groups across AbbVie focused on developing therapies for Immunology, Neurology and Oncology diseases. We utilize innovative approaches for antibody discovery including in vivo technologies, custom immunization strategies, advanced multiplex screening assays and best-in-class automation platforms to enable successful antibody discovery against complex targets.

As a member of the in vivo antibody discovery group, you will be responsible for optimizing and expanding antibody repertoire sequencing capabilities in antibody discovery, as well as developing innovative methods to help maintain AbbVie’s industry-leading standards. The successful candidate will generate original technical ideas and research strategies for antibody repertoire sequencing (RepSeq) and analysis. They will have technical expertise in generating and applying RepSeq data to therapeutic antibody discovery including computational proficiency enabling highly effective collaboration with computational scientists. This is an exciting opportunity to help drive antibody discovery programs within a multidisciplinary research group in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as scientific and technical expert in antibody repertoire sequencing (RepSeq/AIRR-Seq/BCR-Seq) for therapeutic antibody discovery and hit expansion – Bulk sequencing, 10X, and other commercial and proprietary platforms.
• Collaborate with computational scientists to optimize repertoire analysis and open new avenues for antibody discovery through repertoire guided machine learning and generative design
• Generate, document, and archive repertoire data with appropriate context and metadata to support broader team access and future utilization.
• Analyze and interpret results, placing data in proper scientific context through review of relevant literature, and present findings at team meetings.
• Regularly present data, communicate effectively, and coordinate work within a highly matrixed project team environment.
• Demonstrate scientific excellence through dedication to multiple projects in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.
• Exhibit a can-do attitude and strong interpersonal and communication skills when working across multiple functional teams.

Education

• BS, MS, or PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics or a related field with typically 0-4+ (PhD), 8-10+ (MS), or 10-12+ (BS) years of relevant experience

Required:

• Extensive scientific expertise in immunoglobulin genetics and antibody biology; specifically, the candidate should be well versed in antibody diversity generation (germline genes / V(D)J recombination / somatic hypermutation), affinity maturation, and B cell biology.
• Extensive technical expertise in the isolation and molecular biology of antibody variable region genes for Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) and the capture of RepSeq/AIRR-Seq/BCR-Seq) data; both for single-chain and paired heavy- and light-chain recovery
• Understanding of NGS technologies and platforms – Illumina (NextSeq, MiSeq) and PacBio
• Understanding and proficiency in molecular biology techniques (e.g. PCR, primer design, molecular cloning, Gibson Assembly, plasmid design)
• Ability to improve and streamline existing processes
• Strong attention to quality and details when exercising organizational, documentation and communication skills
• Proven flexibility to deal with changing timelines and shifting work priorities
• Competency with software programs, including antibody analysis (PipeBio), DNA analysis (Geneious, Sequencher) and MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Fluency in computational science and familiarity with the application of predictive AI/ML tools and protein language models (PLMs) for antibody discovery

Desirable:

• Experience in non-human and non-murine immunogenetics
• Prior experience with bioinformatics and computational analysis of large DNA and protein data sets is highly desired
• Experience with repertoire sequencing from in vitro antibody discovery libraries
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, aseptic technique, and transient transfection
• Experience in immunoassays using techniques like ELISA and flow cytometry

Position will be filled at level commensurate with extent of education, experience, and accomplishment - Senior Scientist I or Senior Scientist II

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive program.
• This job may be eligible to participate in our long-term incentive program.