Antibody Engineering Scientist II - AI-Driven Discovery

Astellas Pharma; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

401(k) match

Annual corporate bonus

Long-term incentive plan

Company paid life insurance

Job summary

Astellas is seeking a Scientist II in Antibody Engineering to drive discovery and development of next‑generation biologics in Oncology Research. You will engineer bispecifics, TCEs, and cytokine therapeutics, applying AI-enabled design and rigorous characterization to advance candidates from discovery through preclinical stages.

You will work closely with Cancer Biology, Translational Science, AI/ML, and global Biologics Engineering teams in SSF and Japan, contributing to platform tech and IP

Qualifications

• PhD with 2+ years of industry experience in antibody/protein engineering and oncology drug discovery.
• Expertise in antibody and protein design, including AI/ML-enabled approaches and structure prediction.
• Experience with antibody purification (Protein A, Ni-NTA, HIC, IEX, SEC) and relevant assays.
• Molecular biology skills: DNA construct design, PCR, cloning, plasmid engineering.
• Biochemical/biophysical characterization and data interpretation with clear documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design and characterize bispecific antibodies, T-cell engagers, and other multifunctional biologics.
• Use iterative design-make-test-learn cycles to guide lead optimization and candidate selection.
• Collaborate across Cancer Biology, Translational Science, AI/ML and Biologics teams in SSF and Japan.
• Coordinate CROs and external partners for protein production and analytical work.
• Apply AI/ML and autonomous platforms to improve discovery and optimization of biologics.
• Document workflows, present data to teams and leadership, and contribute to publications and IP.

Skills

Antibody design

AI/ML protein engineering

Protein purification

Molecular biology

Biophysical characterization

Experimental design

Collaboration

Education

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Octet/BLI

ELISA

FRET assays

CE-SDS

Job description

Astellas is seeking a Scientist II in Antibody Engineering to drive discovery and development of next‑generation biologics in Oncology Research. You will engineer bispecifics, TCEs, and cytokine therapeutics, applying AI-enabled design and rigorous characterization to advance candidates from discovery through preclinical stages.

You will work closely with Cancer Biology, Translational Science, AI/ML, and global Biologics Engineering teams in SSF and Japan, contributing to platform tech and IP