Senior Scientist, mRNA Display for Peptide Discovery

Zealand Pharma; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 92,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

Zealand Pharma A/S, a biotechnology company focused on obesity and metabolic health, is building a new Molecular Platform Development hub in Cambridge, MA. We seek a Scientist or Senior Scientist in mRNA Display to lead peptide and mini-protein discovery through hands-on mRNA display and related in vitro workflows.

You will design and operate a modern display platform, apply non-canonical amino acid incorporation, and collaborate with computational modeling and data science colleagues to

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, or related field preferred; postdoctoral training preferred; BS/MS with relevant experience may be considered
• 2+ years post-degree experience in mRNA display or related in vitro display tech (Scientist); 4+ years (Senior Scientist)
• Experience building custom cell-free display systems from scratch; familiarity with other in vitro display platforms is a plus
• Experience incorporating non-canonical amino acids via reprogrammed translation systems or related approaches

Responsibilities

• Execute the full peptide and mini-protein mRNA display workflow from library design to selection and enrichment
• Apply non-canonical amino acid incorporation to expand library diversity
• Implement chemical modification strategies to improve potency and stability
• Build and maintain custom cell-free display systems from scratch
• Generate SAR data to support lead optimization and collaborate across DMTA cycles

Skills

mRNA display workflow

Non-canonical amino acids

Cell-free display systems

NGS data analysis

LC-MS / peptide analysis

Education

PhD in Chemical Biology/Biochemistry/Organic Chemistry

BS/MS with significant industry experience

Tools

IVTT

Cell-free systems

Ribosome display

Flexizyme methods

Job description

Zealand Pharma A/S, a biotechnology company focused on obesity and metabolic health, is building a new Molecular Platform Development hub in Cambridge, MA. We seek a Scientist or Senior Scientist in mRNA Display to lead peptide and mini-protein discovery through hands-on mRNA display and related in vitro workflows.

You will design and operate a modern display platform, apply non-canonical amino acid incorporation, and collaborate with computational modeling and data science colleagues to