Oligonucleotide Process Development Scientist II

American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 86,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

FreeU education benefit

Freedom 2 Save debt program

Job summary

Abbott in Carlsbad, CA is seeking an Oligonucleotide Scientist to drive development across solid-phase synthesis from research to GMP scale, working hands-on with automated synthesizers. You'll optimize synthesis cycles, characterize products by LC/MS and HPLC, troubleshoot impurities, and prepare documentation while partnering with Analytical Development, Purification, Quality and Regulatory teams.

This role offers exposure to cGMP environments and opportunities to advance in a global health

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis using phosphoramidite chemistry.
• Bachelor's degree in biological or physical sciences, or mathematics, with minimum of 4 years.
• Master's degree with minimum 2 years experience; or PhD.
• Direct experience operating automated oligonucleotide synthesizers.
• Working knowledge of solid supports (CPG, polystyrene, UnyLinker) and the relationship between support loading, column geometry, and synthesis scale.
• Hands-on experience with LC/MS for oligonucleotide characterization, with demonstrated ability to identify and quantify impurities.
• Familiarity with UPLC/HPLC for purity assessment.
• Strong scientific writing and documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize multiple projects, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis on automated synthesizers (e.g., ÄKTA Oligosynt, ÄKTA Pilot 100, GE/Cytiva) using phosphoramidite chemistry.
• Develop, optimize, and document synthesis cycles, including coupling, capping, oxidation/sulfurization, and detritylation; tune cycle parameters for each scale and chemistry.
• Support scale-up from process development to engineering and GMP production batches; select solid supports and columns.
• Synthesize complex modified oligonucleotides (PS backbones, 2′-OMe, 2′-MOE, LNA).
• Characterize crude and purified product by UPLC, IEX-HPLC, RP-HPLC, and LC/MS; interpret mass spectra and impurities.
• Troubleshoot synthesis failures and impurity profiles; drive root-cause investigations.
• Author and review protocols, batch records, development reports, deviations, and tech-transfer packages.
• Partner with Analytical Development, Downstream Processing/Purification, Quality, Manufacturing, and Regulatory teams.
• Maintain a safe, clean, compliant lab per cGMP/ICH guidelines.

Skills

Solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis

Automated oligonucleotide synthesizer

LC/MS analysis for oligonucleotides

Scientific writing

Independent work & multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in biological or physical sciences or mathematics

Master's degree with 2+ years or PhD

Tools

Automated oligonucleotide synthesizer (ÄKTA Oligosynt/ Pilot)

Waters LC/MS systems (Xevo, SYNAPT, ACQUITY)

MassLynx/UNIFI software

DoE/Statistical tools (JMP, Minitab)

Job description

Abbott in Carlsbad, CA is seeking an Oligonucleotide Scientist to drive development across solid-phase synthesis from research to GMP scale, working hands-on with automated synthesizers. You'll optimize synthesis cycles, characterize products by LC/MS and HPLC, troubleshoot impurities, and prepare documentation while partnering with Analytical Development, Purification, Quality and Regulatory teams.

This role offers exposure to cGMP environments and opportunities to advance in a global health