Senior Scientist, Surface Target Modalities & Validation

Amgen; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 127,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen’s Surface Biology group seeks a Senior Scientist to evaluate cell-surface targets and propose modality-specific therapeutic approaches. You will design and execute experiments to prioritize targets, measure surface density, and assess internalization and trafficking, shaping early drug discovery strategies.

This role requires hands-on validation experience and collaboration across teams. The candidate will contribute to scalable workflows and data-driven Go/No-Go decisions, advancing

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Biomedical Science, Immunology, Oncology, Pharmacology, or related field.
• 2+ years biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry research experience (preferred with Ph.D.).
• Experience across discovery programs with multiple therapeutic modalities.
• Hands-on experience with HTS cell-based assays and target validation.

Responsibilities

• Propose therapeutic modalities for surface targets based on target properties and modality-specific characteristics.
• Define experimental strategies to assess the suitability of proposed modalities.
• Develop, standardize, and execute scalable, high-throughput quantitative workflows to evaluate surface protein degradation, internalization, trafficking, and downstream cellular function after target engagement.
• Integrate experimental findings into Go/No-Go decision packages to guide modality selection.
• Collaborate with the early validation team and document workflows for cross-functional discussions.

Skills

Flow cytometry

Quantitative imaging

High-throughput screening

Cell biology

Data analysis

Education

Ph.D. in Cell Biology or related field

M.S. in a relevant scientific discipline

B.S. in a related field

Tools

Echo acoustic dispensers

Tecan automation

Hamilton robotics

Job description

Amgen’s Surface Biology group seeks a Senior Scientist to evaluate cell-surface targets and propose modality-specific therapeutic approaches. You will design and execute experiments to prioritize targets, measure surface density, and assess internalization and trafficking, shaping early drug discovery strategies.

This role requires hands-on validation experience and collaboration across teams. The candidate will contribute to scalable workflows and data-driven Go/No-Go decisions, advancing