Principal Scientist Engineering

Sanofi (US); Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative global healthcare company seeks a Principal Scientist in Engineering to shape the future of medicine. This pivotal role focuses on advancing drug discovery through lab automation and process modeling, contributing to the creation of a self-driving lab for drug substance development. You will collaborate with teams across the globe, utilizing your expertise in chemical engineering and automation to drive innovation in pharmaceutical processes. Join a supportive team dedicated to improving lives through science and enjoy opportunities for career growth and development in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Health and wellness benefits

Parental leave

Career development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• PhD in chemical engineering with 5+ years of experience or equivalent.
• Experience in automation and advanced modeling fields.

Responsibilities

• Develop automated systems to enhance lab productivity.
• Build mechanistic and data-driven modeling solutions.

Skills

Python

Matlab

C#

Visual Basic

Crystallization modeling

Data-driven modeling

Automation

Mathematics

Physics

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Master's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

gPROMS

Job description

Job Title:

Principal Scientist Engineering

Location

: Cambridge, MA

About the Job

Are you ready to shape the future of medicine? The race is on to speed up drug discovery and development to find answers for patients and their families. Your skills could be critical in helping our teams accelerate progress.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our drug substance process engineering and modeling team. As a technical expert in process engineering and modeling, you will play a key role in advancing our global engineering department within Sanofi’s R&D CMC Synthetic organization. This position is located in Cambridge, MA, and will collaborate closely with colleagues in France to support digital development and implement new ways of working.

Your expertise in chemical engineering, process system modeling, and lab automation will be crucial in creating a self-driving lab for small molecule drug substance process development and optimization. You will help develop automated experimental workflows to generate data for model building, advancing the creation of digital twins, and driving innovation in pharmaceutical process development.

We believe that lab automation and digital development are crucial for the future of process development in pharma. By joining our team, you will be at the forefront of this transformation, using your expertise to push the boundaries of process engineering.

This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of process modeling and data science in a cutting-edge scientific department developing the next generation of Sanofi medicines that will improve the quality of life for patients worldwide.

We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We’re also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, connect, and stretch your limits. Ready to get started?

Main Responsibilities:

Lab automation & data generation:

• Work closely with laboratory teams (process chemists, engineers, and the high-throughput experimentation team), fostering strong partnerships with scientists to deeply understand their research processes. Design, develop, and deploy cutting-edge automated systems, robotics, instrumentation, and digital workflows that significantly enhance lab productivity and efficiency.
• Program and develop automated laboratory systems, support software development and deployment to automate workflows, and ensure seamless communication between analytical instruments and Sanofi's data management systems.

Mechanistic & data-driven model building:

• Build mechanistic, hybrid, and data-driven modeling solutions within matrix project teams to support small molecule process development. Collaborate to integrate crystallization modeling into process design and optimization workflows.

Model deployment at scale:

• Assist in developing and deploying digital twins for batch and continuous processes, aligning with QbD principles. Play a key role in scaling Model Predictive Control (MPC) systems to optimize performance, maintain quality, and improve efficiency in manufacturing environments.
• Communicate work effectively through technical presentations, document projects and improvements in eLNB experiments, and summarize findings in technical reports.
• Establish and extend external collaborations with academic, industrial, or government partners to address scientific gaps and drive innovation.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in chemical engineering with at least 5 years of industry or academic experience, or a master’s degree with at least 8 years, or a bachelor’s degree with at least 12 years.
• Relevant experience in advanced modeling or automation fields such as mathematics or physics.
• Strong skills in scripting/programming languages like Python, Matlab, C#, or Visual Basic.
• Experience with crystallization modeling and simulation tools (e.g., gPROMS).
• Experience in designing and deploying automated laboratory processes.
• Ability to translate mathematical models into computer programs.
• Ability to work collaboratively with scientists from diverse fields.
• Innovative mindset, proposing novel approaches to scientific challenges.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with laboratory analytical instruments or experience in a pharmaceutical sciences lab.
• Knowledge of small molecule process development with industrial or academic publications.
• Knowledge of multivariate analysis, chemometrics, and statistics.
• Experience with continuous process development and scale-up.

Why Choose Us?

• Join a supportive, innovative team bringing science to life.
• Opportunities for growth and career development, locally and internationally.
• Competitive rewards and benefits, including health, wellness, and parental leave.

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to legally protected characteristics.

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All compensation will be based on experience. Benefits details are available on our website.