Group Leader, Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates (Extrahepatic Delivery)

A*STAR Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive benefits

Long-term career growth opportunities

Job summary

A leading biomedical research institute in Singapore seeks a highly innovative Group Leader for Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates. The role involves building and leading a team focused on developing advanced therapeutic modalities. Responsibilities include defining design principles, guiding strategies for antibody discovery, and establishing bioconjugation processes. Candidates should have a doctoral degree and significant experience in the biotech or pharmaceutical fields. This position offers attractive benefits and opportunities for career growth within Singapore's evolving biomedical landscape.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotech organizations.
• Demonstrated track record in antibody discovery/engineering and bioconjugation.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Define AOC design principles for extrahepatic delivery.
• Guide antigen and epitope strategy for tissue targeting.
• Establish analytical methods to quantify conjugate stability.

Skills

Antibody discovery

Bioconjugation

Linker chemistry

Project management

Interpersonal skills

Education

Doctoral degree in relevant field

Tools

Flow cytometry

LC-MS

SEC

Job description

Group Leader, Antibody‑Oligonucleotide Conjugates (Extrahepatic Delivery)

Requisition ID: 1667 • Posting Start Date: 10/04/2026

Job Description

The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), hosted by A*STAR, is Singapore's national platform dedicated to advancing RNA‑based medicines and revolutionizing drug and vaccine development. NATi's mission is to establish Singapore as a globally recognised hub for nucleic acid therapeutics research, clinical translation and commercialisation. It focuses on key RNA modalities such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small interfering RNA (siRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA), and builds a biotech‑like translational engine from discovery to clinical development.

Position Overview

We seek a highly innovative and results‑driven Group Leader to build and lead an interdisciplinary team developing antibody‑oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) for extrahepatic delivery. The role integrates antibody discovery and engineering with linker chemistry, oligonucleotide conjugation and fit‑for‑purpose bioanalytical and functional validation to enable asset generation beyond established hepatic indications. The successful candidate will own the scientific strategy and execution for the AOC platform, build an efficient group, establish platform capabilities (automation, conjugation, analytics, in‑vitro assays) and partner closely with oligonucleotide chemistry, DMPK and bioanalytics teams.

Key Responsibilities

1. Scientific Leadership & Program Ownership:

   Define AOC design principles for extrahepatic delivery (target selection, tissue/cell specificity, internalisation, trafficking, endosomal escape strategies, payload selection, etc.). Drive program strategy, milestones and decision‑making frameworks (experimental plan, MOA validation, translation plan, developability risk). Lead multi‑disciplinary project teams and represent AOC programmes in governance forums and senior leadership reviews.

2. Antibody Discovery, Engineering & Developability:

   Guide antigen and epitope strategy for extrahepatic tissue targeting (muscle, adipose tissue, immune cells). Oversee generation, screening and prioritisation of antibodies via display technologies (phage/yeast display, hybridoma, computational design) using a balanced mix of internal capability and external CROs.

   • Engineer antibodies for affinity/avidity optimisation, cross‑reactivity, species selection, internalisation/trafficking (recycling vs degradative pathways), biophysical stability (aggregation, viscosity), PTMs and manufacturability.
   • Establish developability workflows (expression, purification, stability, aggregation, polyspecificity, immunogenicity risk screening) using a balance of internal and external capability.
3. Linker Chemistry & Oligo Conjugation Platform:

   Own the bioconjugation strategy (site‑specific vs stochastic; cysteine/lysine conjugation, enzymatic conjugation, non‑natural amino acids, glycan remodelling, click chemistry).

   • Partner with oligo chemists to define oligo formats (siRNA, ASO, splice‑switching oligos), chemical modifications and conjugation handles.
   • Design and optimise linkers for stability in systemic circulation, controlled release (if/when applicable), compatibility with antibody and oligo chemistry, scalability and CMC readiness.

   Establish analytical methods to quantify DAR, positional heterogeneity, purity and stability (LC‑MS, SEC, CE‑SDS, HIC, UV/fluorescence, ion exchange, oligo integrity assays) and provide hands‑on experience with multiscale purification and analytical characterisation instruments.

4. Functional Validation Readouts:

   Develop and oversee in‑vitro assays to confirm binding and internalisation (flow cytometry, microscopy, ligand competition), intracellular trafficking/endosomal escape proxies, oligo activity (knock‑down/splice modulation/qPCR/NGS readouts) and drive in‑vivo PK/PD and biodistribution studies in relevant models in close partnership with the pharmacology team.

5. Cross‑Functional Partnering:

   Collaborate with DMPK to establish AOC‑specific ADME understanding (deconjugation, metabolite profiling, clearance mechanisms), with Bioanalytics to set up assays for intact conjugate, total antibody, free oligo and catabolites, and with CMC/process development for scale‑up readiness, control strategy and quality attributes relevant to AOCs.

6. People Leadership & Capability Building:

   Recruit, mentor and lead a team across protein science, conjugation chemistry and biology; establish best practices for experimental design, documentation and reproducibility; cultivate a culture of scientific excellence; identify and manage CRO partnerships; lead strategic collaborations; innovate in AOC engineering to expand NATi's IP portfolio; coordinate technical documentation and patent filings with legal and scientific teams; prepare summary reports and presentations for NATi leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• A doctoral degree in Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology, Bioconjugation Chemistry, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry or a related field.
• +8 years (Senior Scientist) or +12 years (Principal Scientist) of relevant experience in pharmaceutical or biotech organisations.
• Demonstrated track record in antibody discovery/engineering and bioconjugation with clear ownership of programmes advancing toward development.
• Hands‑on experience with conjugation design, linker selection and analytical characterisation of conjugates (AOCs, ADCs or related modalities).
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams, set strategy and deliver milestones in a matrix environment.
• Demonstrated innovation through IP, publications, IND filings or other public disclosures.
• Strong organisational, interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills.

Global Recruitment & Competitive Compensation

NATi is conducting a global search for top‑tier talent in RNA therapeutics. This role offers a highly competitive compensation package aligned with global industry standards, including attractive benefits and long‑term career growth opportunities within Singapore's thriving biomedical innovation ecosystem.

We welcome applications from leading pharmaceutical scientists and biotech innovators worldwide. The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive; A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on prevailing recruitment policies, which may be amended from time to time without notice. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.