Senior Scientist: Antibody Discovery & Molecular Biology

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc; Westbrook (ME); On-site; USD 105,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health/Dental/Vision Day-One

5% matching 401k

Employee stock program

Volunteer paid days off

Job summary

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. in Westbrook, Maine seeks a Senior Scientist for Molecular Biology and Antibody Discovery to lead the reagent development pipeline at the intersection of molecular biology and diagnostics.

You will guide antibody generation, vector design, cloning, and cDNA library development to deliver validated reagents for immunoassay format development with downstream partners. This role requires strong experimental design, mentoring of junior scientists, data presentation to senior

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant life science with 2+ years post‑doc/industry experience.
• Hands-on molecular biology techniques including primer design, PCR, cloning, Gibson assembly, mutagenesis, and sequence analysis.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression in mammalian, insect, or microbial systems.
• Proficiency with protein characterization techniques (SDS-PAGE, analytical SEC, Western blot, ELISA).
• Ability to design experiments, analyze data, and troubleshoot independently.
• Track record of scientific publications, patents, or equivalent.
• Strong communication, organization, and planning skills.
• Experience mentoring junior scientists (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Lead design and execution of molecular biology workflows for construct development, including primer design, PCR-based cloning, DNA assembly, and sequence verification.
• Develop and optimize recombinant expression constructs and strategies using mammalian, insect, or microbial systems to support antigen and reagent production.
• Define and drive biological reagent development strategies with a primary focus on antibody generation, including platform selection, screening, and hit confirmation.
• Direct protein and antibody characterization using biochemical and biophysical techniques including SDS-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, analytical SEC, and binding kinetics (BLI or SPR).
• Develop and optimize workflows that increase throughput and reproducibility, including the implementation of laboratory automation where applicable.
• Evaluate and apply in silico tools and AI to design and generate antibody candidates, and integrate computational and experimental approaches.
• Partner with downstream immunoassay development teams to communicate reagent performance data, define acceptance criteria, and meet delivery milestones.
• Plan and prioritize project work, set technical goals, and provide scientific guidance, training, and mentorship to associate scientists and research associates.
• Present data and project progress to cross-functional teams and senior leadership through clear, concise presentations and written reports.
• Leverage published literature and external scientific networks to identify novel molecular biology, expression, and reagent development technologies for the Reagent Discovery pipeline, and contribute to intellectual property, publications, and conference presentations as appropriate.
• Document experiments and maintain accurate electronic records, and adhere to appropriate safety procedures and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Molecular biology workflows

Antibody discovery

Experimental design

Data interpretation

Mentoring

Project leadership

Education

PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Protein Engineering, or related life science

Tools

Hamilton

Tecan

Opentrons

PyMOL

Job description

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. in Westbrook, Maine seeks a Senior Scientist for Molecular Biology and Antibody Discovery to lead the reagent development pipeline at the intersection of molecular biology and diagnostics.

You will guide antibody generation, vector design, cloning, and cDNA library development to deliver validated reagents for immunoassay format development with downstream partners. This role requires strong experimental design, mentoring of junior scientists, data presentation to senior