Senior Scientist in Centre for Structure & Interactions

Novo Nordisk A/S; Måløv; Remote; DKK 651,000 - 957,000; Full time

Job summary

Novo Nordisk A/S in Denmark seeks a Senior Scientist for the Centre for Structure & Interactions. You will work hands-on in the lab, developing and applying biochemical and biophysical assays to characterise protein interactions, including challenging membrane proteins, to guide molecular design and candidate selection.

The role emphasises collaboration, independent scientific contributions, and translating findings into actionable recommendations for research teams.

Qualifications

• PhD in protein biochemistry, protein engineering, structural biology or biophysics, or 5+ years of equivalent experience.
• Experience developing and interpreting biochemical/biophysical assays with purified proteins (SPR, BLI or fluorescence-based).
• Strong foundation in protein biochemistry and protein engineering with binder familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Shape scientific questions and experimental strategies to support design and candidate selection.
• Design, conduct and interpret biochemical/biophysical experiments on protein interactions, including membrane proteins.
• Apply understanding of biochemistry and binder formats to guide experimental design.
• Develop and deploy high-throughput screening assays with attention to protein quality.
• Integrate findings to provide clear recommendations for research decisions.

Skills

PhD in protein biochemistry

Biochemical & biophysical assays

SPR/BLI/fluorescence assays

Protein engineering

Independent scientific contributions

Education

PhD in protein biochemistry or related

Or 5+ years relevant industry experience

Job description

Senior Scientist in Centre for Structure & Interactions

Category: Research

Location: Måløv, Capital Region of Denmark, DK

Job Title: Senior Scientist in Centre for Structure & Interactions

Department: Centre for Structure & Interactions, Therapeutics Discovery, Research & Development

Your impact begins here

As a Senior Scientist in our Centre for Structure & Interactions, you will turn molecular understanding into better drug candidates for people living with serious chronic diseases. Working hands‑on in the laboratory, you will develop and apply biochemical and biophysical approaches to characterise protein interactions, including those involving challenging targets such as integral membrane proteins. Your insights will guide molecular design, enable high-throughput screening and help research teams across our modality portfolio select the most promising candidates to advance.

What you'll bring

You are a hands‑on protein scientist who combines scientific curiosity with rigorous experimental judgement and the initiative to tackle challenging questions. You will bring:

• A completed PhD in protein biochemistry, protein engineering, structural biology, biophysics or a closely related discipline, or at least five years of relevant industry experience demonstrating comparable scientific depth and independence.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and interpreting biochemical and biophysical assays with purified proteins, using methods such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), biolayer interferometry (BLI) or fluorescence‑based in vitro assays. You can assess protein quality, recognise assay limitations and draw sound mechanistic conclusions.
• A strong foundation in protein biochemistry and experience in protein engineering, such as construct optimisation, mutagenesis or investigating sequence-function relationships, together with familiarity with natural and engineered protein binders.
• Evidence of scientific excellence and independent contributions, demonstrated through high‑quality publications or significant achievements in industrial research.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to turn complex findings into clear recommendations and build productive relationships across disciplines and with internal and external partners.

Desirable, but not essential:

• Experience with directed evolution, display technologies or other protein selection systems.
• Experience working with challenging proteins, including integral membrane proteins, and an understanding of how preparation and handling affect their stability and activity.
• Experience in structural biology, or the ability to integrate interaction data with structural insights to guide molecular design.
• Experience with, or a strong interest in, automation, high‑throughput workflows and computational tools for molecular modelling and visualisation.

What you'll do

You will combine substantial hands‑on laboratory work with scientific ownership of protein interaction studies, working closely with colleagues in the Centre and multidisciplinary project teams.

• Shape scientific questions and experimental strategies that support molecular design and drug candidate selection across our modality portfolio.
• Design, conduct and critically interpret biochemical and biophysical experiments to understand protein interactions, including those involving challenging targets such as integral membrane proteins.
• Apply your understanding of protein biochemistry, engineering and binder formats to guide experimental design and interpret molecular behaviour.
• Develop and deploy high‑throughput screening assays, with careful attention to protein quality, assay performance and the biological relevance of the results.
• Develop and implement new approaches to protein interaction analysis, addressing scientific and technical challenges.
• Integrate your findings with complementary project data to provide clear recommendations and influence research decisions.

Who you'll work with

You will join the Centre for Structure & Interactions, a well‑established area at the heart of Therapeutics Discovery in Research & Development. We play a central role in identifying, optimising and characterising drug candidates across all therapy areas, shaping project direction and informing key research decisions.

Your closest colleagues will be an interdisciplinary team of 18 highly skilled scientists and laboratory technicians, combining high scientific standards with a supportive, collaborative culture. Together, we connect molecular structure, function and interactions to generate insights that guide molecular design and candidate selection.

You will also work closely with multidisciplinary project teams and colleagues across our global research sites. This offers a strong scientific network and opportunities to influence research beyond your own experiments. Our colleagues bring diverse backgrounds and nationalities, and English is our working and social language.

What you can expect here

You will have the opportunity to investigate challenging molecular questions, develop new experimental approaches and shape decisions that advance promising drug candidates. Working alongside skilled colleagues across disciplines, you will contribute your expertise and ideas in an environment with high scientific standards and a shared commitment to improving patients’ lives.

We value rigorous science, open discussion and a willingness to test new ideas. You will find support to learn from experiments, develop your expertise and take increasing scientific responsibility, within a team that approaches challenges together.

Salary: For this role , the Annual Base Salary rangesfrom 651,000.00 to 956,900.00 DKK, corresponding to the level of the position.

The placement within the salary range will be assessed during the recruitment process based on the candidate’s skills, competencies, knowledge, and relevant experience.

Incentives and Benefits: The salary package may include short‑term and/or long‑term incentives as well as other employee benefits based on position level, location, functional area, and relevant market benchmarks.

Learn more about our Reward Philosophy here .

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.