R&D Scientist Virology*

AiCuris GmbH; Wuppertal; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unique corporate culture

Development opportunities

Flexible working accommodations

Employer-funded pension

Job summary

AiCuris GmbH in Wuppertal seeks a R&D Scientist Virology* for a 24-month post-doctoral appointment. The role requires 80–100% on-site presence initially, with potential to reduce to about 60% over time, and involves driving non-clinical virology development and cross-functional collaboration.

The candidate will design and lead experiments, mentor technicians, and contribute to publications and regulatory documents, leveraging strong leadership and scientific rigor.

Qualifications

• PhD in (Molecular) Virology or related field with at least 2 years antiviral research experience.
• Hands-on virology lab methods and technologies.
• Ability to design experiments based on literature and patent information.
• Proficiency with Geneious Prime and GraphPad Prism or comparable tools.
• Strong scientific rigor, data integrity and documentation.
• Proven ability to independently manage research projects and mentor staff.
• Willingness to learn regulatory (GCP/GLP/GMP) and QA requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and execute research activities within early and advanced projects, including data analysis for target validation and candidate profiling.
• Provide guidance and functional leadership to technicians and supervise experimental work.
• Identify scientific challenges and propose alternative approaches.
• Integrate internal and external data to generate insights for project decisions.
• Initiate and coordinate collaborations with academic partners, CROs, and external experts.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align activities with project goals.
• Participate in due diligence for external opportunities and contribute to resource planning.
• Present data in internal and external meetings and conferences as a speaker and AiCuris representative.
• Prepare scientific documents including reports, publications, patents, and regulatory documents.

Skills

Virology techniques

Experimental design

Data analysis

Team leadership

Scientific communication

Regulatory awareness

Education

PhD in Virology

Tools

Geneious Prime

GraphPad Prism

Job description

Your mission

As a R&D Scientist Virology*, you will act as a subject matter expert and functional line representative, driving excellence in non-clinical development at AiCuris. Leveraging your strong leadership capabilities, you will play a key role in advancing our innovative development programs.

Please note: This position is based in Wuppertal, Germany and is offered as a 24-month fixed-term post-doctoral position.

The role requires an initial on-site presence of 80-100% at our Wuppertal site, with the potential to decrease the on-site presence to approximately 60% over time, subject to business needs and individual circumstances.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and execute research activities within early and advanced projects, e.g analysis and interpretation of data to support target validation and candidate profiling – including benchwork as needed
• Provide guidance and functional leadership to technicians, including supervision of experimental work
• Identify scientific challenges and propose solutions or alternative approaches
• Integrate internal and external data (e.g. literature, databases, experimental results) to generate insights supporting project decisions
• Initiate and coordinate research collaborations with academic partners, CROs, and external experts
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (e.g. research, clinical, regulatory) to ensure alignment of activities with project goals
• Contribute to the evaluation of external opportunities, including participation in due diligence activities
• Support resource planning and coordination of activities within assigned projects
• Present data in internal and external meetings and conferences as a speaker and representative of AiCuris
• Prepare and contribute to scientific documents, including research reports, publications, patents, and regulatory documents

Your profile

Skills and Qualification

• Education: PhD in (Molecular) Virology or a related discipline, with 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 to address project relevant questions based on relevant scientific and patent literature
• Hands-on experience relevant 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 of experimental work
• Proven ability to independently manage research projects and collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams, while providing scientific guidance, mentoring, and technical support to laboratory staff
• Willingness to learn and apply regulatory (GCP/GLP/GMP, FDA/EMA regulations) and quality assurance (QA) requirements into work practices as needed.
• Soft Skills:Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and complex tasks. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Very good communication skills with the ability to present complex data clearly. Collaborative team player with a proactive and solution-oriented mindset. High level of personal motivation and ownership
• Languages:Excellent written and verbal English; in addition, German language skills (at least B1 level) are considered essential, as the role involves regular interaction with technicians who may prefer communication in German.

Why us?

What we offer

• Unique corporate culture:Scientific excellence, a collaborative working environment and the passion to improve the lives of patients defines our work. With us, you can work together with innovation awarded experts with the proven ability to translate science into commercial success. You can expect diversity, inspiration as well as trustful collaboration.
• Development:We encourage people to grow and strongly support individual development and learning opportunities.
• Flexibility:Embracing flexible working accommodations, we enable our people to integrate business into their personal life.
• Benefits:Employer-funded pension comes along with an attractive benefits package