Senior Nucleoside Chemist - Lead Oligonucleotide Delivery

Millipore Corporation; Billerica (MA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off (PTO)

Retirement contributions

Other perquisites

Job summary

EMD Serono in Billerica, MA, is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to lead the design and synthesis of nucleoside-based molecules and conjugates that improve intracellular delivery, with a particular focus on endosomal escape agents.

The successful candidate will apply strong synthetic chemistry expertise and work closely with oligonucleotide synthesis, analytical, and formulation colleagues to advance concepts from early discovery through lead optimization.

Qualifications

• PhD in Medicinal Chemistry or related field with 5+ years of nucleoside chemistry experience.
• Proven ability to deliver complex molecules or conjugates via multistep synthesis.
• Experience with nucleoside chemistry and bioconjugation, linker design, or payload conjugation.
• Strong understanding of solubility, stability, and cellular uptake effects.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize nucleoside analogues, functionalized blocks, linkers, and conjugates.
• Develop endosomal escape strategies and tune physicochemical properties.
• Plan multistep synthesis, purification, and structural characterization.
• Apply analytical methods to confirm identity, purity, and conjugate composition.
• Collaborate with chemistry, biology, and pharmacology teams to drive projects.

Skills

Multistep organic synthesis

Nucleoside chemistry

Bioconjugation

Molecular design

Collaboration across teams

Education

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry or related field

Tools

NMR

LC-MS

HPLC

Job description

EMD Serono in Billerica, MA, is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to lead the design and synthesis of nucleoside-based molecules and conjugates that improve intracellular delivery, with a particular focus on endosomal escape agents.

The successful candidate will apply strong synthetic chemistry expertise and work closely with oligonucleotide synthesis, analytical, and formulation colleagues to advance concepts from early discovery through lead optimization.