Principal Scientist (Screening Technologies), SIFBI

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); Singapore; On-site; SGD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is looking for a driven Senior or Principal Scientist to develop innovative screening technologies aimed at identifying bioactive ingredients for nutrition. The role involves significant collaboration, mentoring, and research dissemination, offering a unique opportunity to impact health through food science.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience for Senior Scientist, 8+ years for Principal Scientist.
• Experience in developing cell-based screening assays.
• Proven track record for publication and securing funding.

Responsibilities

• Design and establish screening platforms for nutritional bioactivity evaluation.
• Develop high-throughput screening methods to identify functional compounds.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to connect findings with health outcomes.

Skills

Project Management

Problem-Solving

Communication

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or related field

Tools

Assay automation

HTS instrumentation

Statistical analysis software

Job description

SIFBI Discover Department is seeking a scientifically driven and innovative Senior or Principal Scientist to lead the development of screening technologies and processes aimed at identifying bioactive functional food ingredients and elucidating their mechanisms of action. This individual will play a critical role in building the scientific foundation for discovering next-generation food and nutrition ingredients with proven health benefits.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and establish in vitro and ex vivo screening platforms (e.g., cell-based assays, co-culture systems) tailored for nutritional bioactivity evaluation.
• Develop and optimize high-throughput or medium-throughput screening methods to identify functional compounds from natural product libraries, food matrices, or fermentation extracts.
• Identify and validate biomarkers and readouts relevant to key health benefit areas (e.g., gut health, metabolic health, immune modulation, cognitive function).
• Investigate and characterize mechanisms of action using molecular biology, transcriptomics, proteomics, and/or metabolomics approaches.
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary teams including nutrition science, chemistry, bioinformatics and clinical science to connect in vitro findings with human health outcomes.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to a culture of innovation and scientific excellence.
• Prepare technical documentation, reports and present findings to internal and external stakeholders.
• Disseminate research findings through conference presentations and journal publications

Qualifications:

• PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or related field, with 5+ years (Senior) or 8+ years (Principal) of relevant experience.
• Proven experience in developing and executing cell-based screening assays or phenotypic screens, ideally applied to nutritional or natural product research.
• Deep understanding of mechanism-of-action studies, pathway analysis and biomarker discovery.
• Familiarity with food-derived bioactives, plant or microbial extracts, and functional ingredients is highly desirable.
• Hands-on experience with assay automation, HTS instrumentation and statistical analysis software.
• Excellent project management, problem-solving and communication skills.
• Excellent track record for publication and securing research funding.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced innovation environment.