Principal Scientist - Oligonucleotide Discovery Chemistry

GSK; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 121,275 - 202,125; Full time

Job summary

GSK in Cambridge, MA is seeking a PhD-level chemist to help establish pre‑clinical oligonucleotide conjugation capabilities for ASOs, siRNA, SSO, and RNA editors with small molecules, lipids, and linkers. The role covers method development from milligram to gram scale and requires leadership in cross‑functional settings.

You will design workflows, draft SOPs, and work with analytical teams to ensure high-quality conjugates while collaborating across teams to meet program milestones.

Qualifications

• PhD with 3+ years’ experience in chemistry, oligonucleotide synthesis, or chemical biology or related fields.
• 2+ years in modern synthetic chemistry, incl. small molecules, lipids, linkers, amidites, purification, and analysis.
• Experience with HPLC purification techniques and LC/MS analytics.
• Experience in lipid/PEG‑lipid/sterol/dinucleotide and amidite chemistry; familiarity with RNA therapeutics.
• Team‑focused with initiative and problem-solving abilities.
• Mentorship and project leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Establish pre-clinical oligonucleotide conjugation capabilities of ASOs, siRNA, SSO, and RNA editors with small molecules, lipids, linkers, and other conjugates with multistep synthesis from the milligram to gram scale.
• Design and optimize synthetic workflows; draft SOPs to support next‑gen chemistry and method development.
• Serve as the small molecule and lipid SME for the team, representing conjugates in cross‑matrix meetings.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for synthesis, processing, and purification to ensure high‑quality, reproducible results.
• Collaborate with oligo analytical and conjugate chemistry teams to ensure accountability and excellence in small molecule and lipid conjugate synthesis.
• Collaborate across teams to build robust study designs and workflows to meet portfolio endpoints.

Skills

Analytical Chemistry

Data Analysis

Design Thinking

Drug Design

Drug Discovery

Medicinal Chemistry

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Education

PhD in Chemistry or related field

Tools

HPLC purification (RP/SEC/IC)

LC/MS analytics

ÄKTA systems

Job description

GSK in Cambridge, MA is seeking a PhD-level chemist to help establish pre‑clinical oligonucleotide conjugation capabilities for ASOs, siRNA, SSO, and RNA editors with small molecules, lipids, and linkers. The role covers method development from milligram to gram scale and requires leadership in cross‑functional settings.

You will design workflows, draft SOPs, and work with analytical teams to ensure high-quality conjugates while collaborating across teams to meet program milestones.