Senior Scientist, CHO Upstream Process Development

Lonza; Oberwallis; On-site; Vertraulich; Full time

Job summary

Lonza in Visp, Switzerland, seeks an Associate Principal Scientist in Mammalian Cell Culture Development to lead upstream activities and guide cross-functional teams. You will drive complex studies, ensure compliance, and prepare data for tech transfer to GMP facilities.

You will act as a CHO culture SME, design robust scale‑down/up models, and produce high‑quality documentation while supporting training and knowledge sharing across groups.

Qualifications

• BSc with 7+ years or MSc with 5+ years of relevant industry experience in mammalian upstream process development.
• Hands-on CHO cell culture experience including AMBR250/AMBR15, shake flasks, bioreactors and depth filtration.
• Strong understanding of scale-up/scale-down, bioprocess troubleshooting and tech transfer.
• Proven ability to plan, coordinate and execute lab-scale experiments in a cross-functional environment.
• Excellent communication in English and willingness to support operations during weekends/holidays.

Responsibilities

• Lead, design and execute complex upstream process development activities (up to 10L) and support tech transfer to Pilot and GMP facilities.
• Serve as SME for CHO cell culture, providing scientific guidance and troubleshooting insights.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships through clear scientific communication.
• Design, optimize and implement robust scale-down and scale-up models.
• Author and review study plans and development reports.
• Support training activities and promote knowledge‑sharing across teams.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and best-practice implementation.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Upstream process development

Scale-up / scale-down

Tech transfer

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical English

Education

BSc in Life Sciences

MSc in Life Sciences

Tools

AMBR250/AMBR15

Shake flasks

Stirred-tank bioreactors

Depth filtration

Job description

Lonza in Visp, Switzerland, seeks an Associate Principal Scientist in Mammalian Cell Culture Development to lead upstream activities and guide cross-functional teams. You will drive complex studies, ensure compliance, and prepare data for tech transfer to GMP facilities.

You will act as a CHO culture SME, design robust scale‑down/up models, and produce high‑quality documentation while supporting training and knowledge sharing across groups.