Scientist/Sr. Scientist Yeast Surface Dislay

Zealand Pharma U.S., Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Zealand Pharma A/S in Cambridge, MA is seeking a Scientist or Senior Scientist in Yeast Surface Display to drive antibody, VHH, and other binder discovery.

You will build and operate a high-throughput display platform at the new research center, collaborating with Mass Spectrometry, Biophysics, and Pharmaceutical Development teams to validate hits.

Candidates with PhD preferred; 2+ years post-degree experience for Scientist or 4+ years for Senior Scientist.

Qualifications

• PhD in Protein Engineering, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or related field preferred; postdoc encouraged.
• 2+ years post-degree experience in yeast surface display or related antibody/protein discovery.
• 4+ years for Senior Scientist level.
• Experience with antibody, VHH, affibody, or other mini-protein formats.
• Experience with display selections against complex targets (GPCRs, multi-pass membrane proteins) is a plus.
• NGS to analyze library diversity and enrichment; bioinformatics familiarity a bonus.
• Familiarity with phage display or other in vitro/in vivo display technologies and with protein expression/purification for binder validation.

Responsibilities

• Execute yeast display workflow from library construction to binder isolation.
• Perform selections against challenging targets including GPCRs.
• Design affinity maturation and selection strategies.
• Apply NGS to track diversity and enrichment.
• Collaborate with Mass Spectrometry, Biophysics, and Development teams to validate hits.

Job description

Does it excite you to work at the frontier of antibody and binder discovery, and do you have hands‑on experience with yeast surface display technology? If this sounds like you, and you are ready to help build a new discovery platform from the ground up, then you could be our new colleague.

Your new position

As a Scientist or Senior Scientist in Yeast Surface Display, you will play a central scientific role in our new Molecular Platform Development organization, driving antibody, VHH, and other mini‑protein and binder discovery through yeast display technology. You will help build and operate a modern, high‑throughput display platform at the inception of our new Cambridge, MA research center. This role suits a scientist with strong technical expertise across the full yeast surface display workflow, scientific curiosity, and a desire to grow in scope and responsibility.

We offer exciting responsibilities

• Execute the full yeast surface display workflow, from library construction and transformation through magnetic bead and FACS‑based selections, generating antibody, VHH, affibody, constrained peptide, and other mini‑protein binders
• Conduct display selections against complex and challenging targets, including GPCRs, other multi‑pass membrane proteins, and receptor complexes
• Design and execute affinity maturation and selection strategies to improve binder affinity, specificity, and developability
• Apply next‑generation sequencing (NGS) to track library diversity, monitor selection enrichment, and identify lead clones from display campaigns
• Contribute to the development and application of yeast surface display capabilities within Molecular Platform Development
• Partner closely with Mass Spectrometry, Biophysics, and Pharmaceutical Development colleagues to validate hit quality, sequence fidelity, and developability early in selection campaigns

Your profile

You bring strong technical expertise across the full yeast surface display workflow, along with scientific curiosity and sound judgment. You thrive in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment and are motivated to help shape a new platform and research center from an early stage. You communicate scientific data and concepts clearly and work effectively across cross‑functional project teams.

• PhD in Protein Engineering, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field preferred (postdoctoral training preferred); candidates with a BS/MS and significantly more relevant industry experience will also be considered
• 2+ years of relevant post‑degree experience in yeast surface display or related antibody/protein discovery technologies (Scientist)
• 4+ years (Senior Scientist)
• Experience with antibody, VHH, affibody, constrained peptide, and other mini‑protein or binder formats
• Experience conducting display selections against complex targets, such as GPCRs, other multi‑pass membrane proteins, or receptor complexes, is a plus
• Experience applying next‑generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze display library diversity and selection enrichment; familiarity with associated bioinformatics is a plus
• Familiarity with phage display or other in vitro/in vivo display technologies, and with protein expression, purification, and analytical characterization sufficient to support binder validation

Your new team

You will join Molecular Platform Development, a new organization created to strengthen and advance diverse drug modality capabilities in metabolic disease, based at our new Cambridge, MA research center. The site is a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary discovery hub integrating computational research, chemistry, and biology, and is deeply connected to the Greater Boston life sciences ecosystem.

Let’s bond and be bold

We have a unique culture, characterized by excellent teamwork and strong engagement across the organization. And we want you to help us strengthen this culture. Making bonds is at the core of everything we do. From discovering and developing the best new peptide drugs for patients, to engaging with our partners or connecting with each other. We bond through curiosity and playfulness as a team, allowing ourselves to challenge common thinking and drive future innovation. Join us and let’s bond and be bold.

Salary Range: $125,000 - $170,000

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and welcome applications from all job applicants.

About Zealand Pharma A/S

Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ZEAL) is a biotechnology company focused on advancing medicines for obesity and metabolic health. Combining more than 25 years of peptide R&D expertise with a proprietary data platform that leverages advanced data‑driven and AI/ML approaches, Zealand Pharma aims to lead a new era in obesity and metabolic health. To date, more than ten Zealand Pharma‑invented drug candidates have entered clinical development, of which two products have reached the market and three candidates are in late‑stage development. The Company has collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for research, development, and commercialization.

Founded in 1998, Zealand Pharma is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a U.S. presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Learn more at www.zealandpharma.com.

Since our founding in 1998, Zealand Pharma has built a core expertise in the discovery, design, and development of therapeutic peptides. This expertise has led to an R&D pipeline of innovative investigational candidates designed to address a broad range of disease areas. We have four therapeutic focus areas: obesity, rare diseases, chronic inflammation, and type 1 diabetes. In obesity, our peptide capabilities place us in a unique position to address a vast global health challenge and positively impact hundreds of millions of lives. Within rare diseases, we have a long‑standing commitment to deliver new treatments to patients living with congenital hyperinsulinism and short bowel syndrome. For chronic inflammatory diseases, we are progressing peptide programs focused on high‑profile targets shown to be difficult to address with small molecules and antibodies. For type 1 diabetes, we aspire to change the management of this disease. Our strategy is to pursue global co‑development and commercialization partnerships that complement and extend our capabilities across the value chain to deliver new peptide therapies to people who need them.