Principal Scientist Engineering

Sanofi; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative global healthcare company is seeking a Principal Scientist in Engineering to revolutionize drug development. This role involves leveraging your expertise in chemical engineering and lab automation to create automated workflows and digital twins for process optimization. Collaborate with teams across the globe to drive innovation and enhance lab efficiency. If you're passionate about improving patient outcomes through cutting-edge science, this is your opportunity to make a significant impact in the pharmaceutical industry.

Benefits

Career growth opportunities

Comprehensive health benefits

Parental leave benefits

Competitive rewards

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• PhD in chemical engineering or related field with significant industry experience.
• Strong scripting skills and experience with automation and modeling.

Responsibilities

• Develop automated systems to enhance lab productivity and efficiency.
• Build mechanistic and data-driven models for process development.

Skills

Python

Matlab

C#

Visual Basic

Crystallization modeling

Data-driven modeling

Teamwork

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Master's in relevant field

Bachelor's in relevant field

Tools

gPROMS

Automated laboratory systems

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 across the world.

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, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. 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 understand their research processes. Design, develop, and deploy automated systems, robotics, instrumentation, and digital workflows that significantly enhance lab productivity and efficiency.
• Program and develop automated laboratory systems, support software development, and support the integration of analytical instruments with laboratory software to ensure seamless communication with Sanofi's data management services.

Mechanistic & data-driven model building:

• Build mechanistic, hybrid, and data-driven modeling solutions to support small molecule process development. Collaborate with process development teams to integrate crystallization modeling into the overall process design and optimization workflow.

Model deployment at scale:

• Assist in developing and deploying digital twins for batch and continuous processes, ensuring alignment with QbD principles. Play a key role in implementing and scaling Model Predictive Control (MPC) systems to optimize performance, maintain quality, and improve operational efficiency.
• Communicate work effectively through concise technical presentations, document all project work, and summarize in Technical Reports.
• Establish and extend external networks by leading collaborations with academic, industrial, or government partners to address scientific gaps.

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 of experience.
• A degree in another relevant field such as advanced modeling, automation, mathematics, or physics, with applicable experience.
• Strong skills in scripting languages such as Python, Matlab, C#, or Visual Basic.
• Experience with crystallization modeling and simulation tools (e.g., gPROMS).
• Experience in designing and implementing automated laboratory processes from concept to deployment.
• Ability to translate mathematical models into computer programs.
• Teamwork skills and ability to engage with scientists across disciplines.
• Innovative mindset, proposing novel approaches and exploring new modeling techniques.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with laboratory analytical instruments or relevant pharmaceutical lab experience.
• Knowledge of small molecule process development, with publications or industrial applications.
• Some knowledge in multivariate analysis, chemometrics, and statistics.
• Experience in developing and scaling continuous processes.

Why Choose Us?

• Join a supportive, innovative team bringing science to life.
• Opportunities for career growth, promotions, or lateral moves globally.
• Competitive rewards and benefits recognizing your contributions.
• Comprehensive health, wellness, and parental leave benefits.

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

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Compensation will be based on experience. Benefits information can be found here.