Senior Scientist/Scientist - Antibody Engineering & Biologics (EDDC A*STAR)

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore seeks a Senior Scientist/Scientist for Antibody Engineering & Biologics to drive large molecule discovery from target hypotheses to differentiated, developable candidates.

The role emphasizes asset strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and development of future leadership in discovery, with a strong emphasis on integrative decision-making and external partner relevance.

Qualifications

• PhD in immunology, cancer biology, molecular biology, pharmacology, biotechnology, protein science or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years of relevant post-PhD experience in biologics, antibody discovery, translational research or drug discovery.
• Strong expertise in antibody discovery, characterisation and/or engineering is preferred.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary and cross-functional scientific teams, preferably within a drug discovery or translational research environment.
• Demonstrated ability to design, interpret and troubleshoot complex experiments.
• Ability to integrate biological and molecule-level data into clear experimental recommendations and programme decisions.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across scientific disciplines, functions and external partners.
• Product-minded discovery orientation, with an appreciation of how early scientific decisions influence candidate differentiation, developability and partnerability.

Responsibilities

• Translate target biology into clear biologics discovery hypotheses, desired molecule profiles, and candidate differentiation strategies.
• Act as an asset integrator across target biology, antibody discovery, antibody design, engineering, functional assays, translational studies and developability workstreams.
• Drive decision-enabling experiments that address the key biological, technical and product risks required for lead progression.
• Work closely with the Therapeutic Protein Antibody Discovery and Antibody Design groups to guide lead identification, optimisation, modality-fit assessment and molecule selection.
• Integrate multidisciplinary data to support lead nomination, go/no-go decisions, and discovery-stage proof-of-concept.
• Connect experimental outputs to the broader asset strategy, including candidate differentiation, competitive positioning, developability and partnerability.
• Identify emerging scientific risks, dependencies and bottlenecks and recommend practical mitigation plans or follow-up studies.
• Support preparation of partner-ready discovery packages, internal governance materials and external scientific narratives that clearly articulate asset value.
• Work with CROs, academic collaborators and technology partners where external capabilities are needed to advance the asset strategy.
• Build experience toward a future Discovery Project Leader role by contributing to scientific strategy, decision-making and cross-functional asset progression.

Skills

Antibody discovery

Protein engineering

Translational research

Biologics

Experiment design

Cross-functional teamwork

Data interpretation

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Lab automation

Bioinformatics tools

Statistical analysis

Job description

Role Purpose

The Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC) is a national platform in Singapore dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics through collaboration with the public sector and industry partners.

Role Purpose

The Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC) is a national platform in Singapore dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics through collaboration with the public sector and industry partners.

The Senior Scientist/Scientist, Antibody Engineering & Biologics will serve as an asset integrator and product-minded discovery scientist, driving large molecule discovery programmes from target hypothesis toward differentiated, developable and partnerable candidate concepts. The individual will help shape asset strategy by connecting target biology, antibody discovery, molecule engineering, functional validation, developability considerations and portfolio value into a coherent target-to-product plan.

This role is intended for a scientifically strong individual with the potential to develop into a future Discovery Project Leader, able to drive decision-making, identify critical risks and ensure that discovery activities remain aligned to candidate differentiation and external partner relevance.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate target biology into clear biologics discovery hypotheses, desired molecule profiles, and candidate differentiation strategies.
• Act as an asset integrator across target biology, antibody discovery, antibody design, engineering, functional assays, translational studies and developability workstreams.
• Drive decision-enabling experiments that address the key biological, technical and product risks required for lead progression.
• Work closely with the Therapeutic Protein Antibody Discovery and Antibody Design groups to guide lead identification, optimisation, modality-fit assessment and molecule selection.
• Integrate multidisciplinary data to support lead nomination, go/no-go decisions, and discovery-stage proof-of-concept.
• Connect experimental outputs to the broader asset strategy, including candidate differentiation, competitive positioning, developability and partnerability.
• Identify emerging scientific risks, dependencies and bottlenecks and recommend practical mitigation plans or follow-up studies.
• Support preparation of partner-ready discovery packages, internal governance materials and external scientific narratives that clearly articulate asset value.
• Work with CROs, academic collaborators and technology partners where external capabilities are needed to advance the asset strategy.
• Build experience toward a future Discovery Project Leader role by contributing to scientific strategy, decision-making and cross-functional asset progression.

The Requirement

• PhD in immunology, cancer biology, molecular biology, pharmacology, biotechnology, protein science or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years of relevant post-PhD experience in biologics, antibody discovery, translational research or drug discovery.
• Strong expertise in antibody discovery, characterisation and/or engineering is preferred.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary and cross-functional scientific teams, preferably within a drug discovery or translational research environment.
• Demonstrated ability to design, interpret and troubleshoot complex experiments.
• Ability to integrate biological and molecule-level data into clear experimental recommendations and programme decisions.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across scientific disciplines, functions and external partners.
• Product-minded discovery orientation, with an appreciation of how early scientific decisions influence candidate differentiation, developability and partnerability.