Scientist / Senior Scientist, Structural Biology

BioSpace; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan and company match

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Amgen is seeking a Scientist/Senior Scientist in Structural Biology to advance CryoEM‑driven discovery across therapeutic areas at the South San Francisco site.

You will partner with discovery teams, develop cryo workflows, and deliver insights that guide design decisions for biologics and small molecules. A strong publication record and mentoring capability are valued in a collaborative, science‑driven culture.

Qualifications

• PhD in Structural Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field.
• PharmD or MD with relevant post-doc where applicable.
• Masters degree and 3 years of Structural Biology experience.
• Bachelors degree and 5 years of Structural Biology experience.

Responsibilities

• Partner with discovery teams to define structural biology strategies and experimental plans.
• Perform cryo-sample prep, data collection, processing, model building, and interpretation.
• Deliver structural insights informing mechanism and molecular design.
• Develop scalable CryoEM workflows to boost throughput and data quality.
• Collaborate across multiple biology, chemistry, and automation teams.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

CryoEM workflows

Scientific communication

Python scripting

Problem solving

Education

PhD in Structural Biology/ Biochemistry/ Biophysics

PharmD

MD

Masters in Structural Biology

Bachelors in related field

Tools

EPU

CryoEM (Glacios)

Titan Krios

Job description

Join Amgens Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like youre part of something bigger, its because you are. Our shared mission to serve patients living with serious illnesses drives all that we do.

Since 1980, weve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the worlds toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions.

As a member of the Amgen team, youll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, youll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Scientist / Senior Scientist, Structural Biology

What You Will Do

In this vital role you will help discovery teams tackle challenging mechanistic questions by developing practical structural biology strategies, enabling high-quality structural analysis, and delivering insights that support therapeutic program decisions. This position offers a unique opportunity to combine hands-on structural biology with technology innovation in support of biologics and small-molecule drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas.

• Partner with discovery teams to evaluate samples, define structural biology strategies, and develop fit-for-purpose experimental plans.
• Perform and guide cryo-sample preparation, grid optimization, screening, data collection, image processing, model building, refinement, and structural interpretation.
• Deliver high-quality structural insights that inform mechanism of action, molecular design, and therapeutic decision-making.
• Develop scalable, reproducible CryoEM workflows that improve throughput, robustness, and data quality.
• Collaborate across Structural Biology, Protein Sciences, Therapeutic Discovery, Protein Engineering, Computational Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Automation, Molecular Characterization, and therapeutic area teams.
• Coordinate activities across internal facilities, external collaborators, and instrument vendors to maximize platform performance.
• Evaluate and implement emerging technologiesincluding automation and AI-enabled toolsto improve data collection, analysis, and workflow efficiency.
• Apply complementary structural biology approaches, including X-ray crystallography, MicroED, electron tomography, and integrative structural biology, where appropriate to address scientific questions.
• Support and/or lead CryoEM platform activities at the South San Francisco site, including operation of the 200 kV Glacios 2 and user support for the 300 kV Titan Krios.
• Contribute to scientific innovation through technology development, publications, presentations, and knowledge sharing.

What We Expect Of You

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The Scientist we seek is a researcher with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctorate degree PhD in Structural Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field.
• PharmD
• MD [and relevant post-doc where applicable]
• Masters degree and 3 years of Structural Biology experience
• Bachelors degree and 5 years of Structural Biology experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with X-ray crystallography, MicroED, electron tomography, or integrative structural biology.
• Experience supporting structure-based drug discovery in an industry setting.
• Experience studying membrane proteins, antibodies, multispecifics, GPCRs, or other challenging therapeutic targets.
• Experience developing new methodologies that improve throughput, reproducibility, or success rates.
• Familiarity with automated data collection software such as EPU.
• Experience mentoring scientists or training CryoEM users.
• Record of scientific publications, presentations, or technology innovation.
• Passion for collaborative science and continuous improvement.
• Experience scripting/coding with Python and/or other programming languages is a plus.
• Experience operating Glacios, Titan Krios, or equivalent high-end CryoEM instrumentation is a plus.

What you can expect from us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well‑being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

Benefits

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan
• Stock-based long-term incentives
• Award-winning time-off plans
• Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.