R&D Scientist, Virology

AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG; Wuppertal; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

AiCuris in Wuppertal, Germany, seeks an experienced virology professional to lead non-clinical development efforts. You will design experiments, analyze data for target validation, and mentor laboratory staff across multidisciplinary teams.

The role requires a PhD in Molecular Virology and 2+ years in antiviral research, with hands-on lab skills and compliance awareness for GCP/GLP/GMP and regulatory standards. Strong communication in English and German B1 are expected.

Qualifications

• PhD in Molecular Virology or related discipline.
• At least 2 years antiviral research or drug discovery experience.
• Hands-on experience with virology laboratory methods and technologies.
• Ability to design and conduct experiments from literature.
• Proficiency with Geneious Prime, GraphPad Prism, or comparable tools.
• Strong documentation, data integrity, and scientific rigor.

Responsibilities

• Act as a subject matter expert and functional line representative.
• Drive excellence in non-clinical development at AiCuris.
• Design, plan, and execute research activities in early and advanced projects.
• Analyze and interpret data supporting target validation and candidate profiling.
• Perform benchwork as needed.
• Guide and provide functional leadership to technicians, including supervising experimental work.
• Identify scientific challenges and propose solutions or alternatives.
• Integrate literature, database, and experimental data to generate insights.
• Coordinate collaborations with academic partners, CROs, and external experts.
• Collaborate with research, clinical, and regulatory teams.
• Contribute to evaluation of external opportunities and due diligence.
• Support resource planning within assigned projects.
• Present data in internal and external meetings and conferences as an AiCuris representative.
• Prepare and contribute to research reports, publications, patents, and regulatory documents.

Skills

Experimental Design

Data Analysis

Project Management

Scientific Writing

Regulatory Compliance

GCP/GLP/GMP knowledge

English communication

German language (B1)

Mentoring Ability

Collaboration across teams

Education

PhD in Molecular Virology

Tools

Geneious Prime

GraphPad Prism

Sequence Analysis Tools

Data Integrity Practices

Documentation Standards

Job description

• Act as a subject matter expert and functional line representative
• Drive excellence in non-clinical development at AiCuris
• Design, plan, and execute research activities in early and advanced projects
• Analyze and interpret data supporting target validation and candidate profiling
• Perform benchwork as needed
• Guide and provide functional leadership to technicians, including supervising experimental work
• Identify scientific challenges and propose solutions or alternative approaches
• Integrate literature, database, and experimental data to generate project insights
• Initiate and coordinate collaborations with academic partners, CROs, and external experts
• Collaborate with research, clinical, and regulatory teams
• Contribute to evaluation of external opportunities and due diligence activities
• Support resource planning and coordination within assigned projects
• Present data in internal and external meetings and conferences as an AiCuris representative
• Prepare and contribute to research reports, publications, patents, and regulatory documents

Requirements

• PhD in (Molecular) Virology or a related discipline
• At least 2 years of experience in antiviral research and/or drug discovery within an academic or industry-based virology laboratory
• In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with virology laboratory methods and technologies
• Ability to design and conduct experiments based on scientific and patent literature
• Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art scientific software, including sequence analysis and scientific data analysis software such as Geneious Prime and GraphPad Prism, or comparable tools
• Strong commitment to scientific rigor, data integrity, and thorough documentation
• Ability to independently manage research projects and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to provide scientific guidance, mentoring, and technical support to laboratory staff
• Willingness to learn and apply GCP/GLP/GMP, FDA/EMA regulations, and QA requirements
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Very good communication skills and ability to present complex data clearly
• Collaborative, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset
• High personal motivation and ownership
• Excellent written and verbal English
• German language skills at least B1 level

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in antiviral research and drug discovery, with a strong foundation in virology laboratory methods and technologies. Capable of managing research projects, collaborating across multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring compliance with GCP/GLP/GMP and regulatory standards.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• PhD In Molecular Virology
• Antiviral Research Experience
• Virology Laboratory Methods
• Geneious Prime
• GraphPad Prism

Hard Skills

• Experimental Design
• Data Analysis
• Project Management
• Scientific Writing
• Regulatory Compliance

Soft Skills

• Strong Communication Skills
• Analytical Problem-Solving
• Collaborative Mindset
• Mentoring Ability
• Organizational Skills

Industry Keywords

• GCP
• GLP
• GMP
• FDA Regulations
• EMA Regulations

Tools & Technologies

• Scientific Software
• Sequence Analysis Tools
• Data Integrity Practices
• Documentation Standards