Senior Biophysicist: Drug Discovery & Protein Interactions

Placements24; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Retirement savings plan with employer

Generous paid time off

Professional growth opportunities

Access to cutting-edge instrumentation

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Biophysicist for our client, a leading biopharmaceutical company, based in Sandton, Gauteng. The role focuses on applying biophysical methods to characterize drug candidates and understand target interactions within a state-of-the-art R&D environment.

You will lead experiments using SPR, ITC, MST, DLS and SAXS, analyze data, develop assays, collaborate with chemists and structural biologists, and contribute to publications while maintaining advanced

Qualifications

• PhD in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, or related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on biophysical characterization experience in drug discovery.
• Experience with SPR, ITC, MST, DLS, SAXS.
• Strong protein chemistry, molecular interactions, and structural biology knowledge.
• Proficiency with data analysis software and statistics.
• Excellent problem-solving and meticulous experimental approach.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work in a multidisciplinary Sandton team.
• Experience with thermal shift assays and microfluidic-based assays desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments using biophysical techniques such as SPR, ITC, MST, CD, fluorescence spectroscopy, and AUC to characterize protein-ligand interactions.
• Analyze and interpret complex biophysical data to determine binding kinetics, thermodynamics, and structural properties of drug candidates.
• Develop and optimize novel biophysical assays for screening and characterization of therapeutic molecules.
• Collaborate closely with medicinal chemists, structural biologists, and cellular biologists to integrate biophysical data into drug discovery programs.
• Troubleshoot technical issues related to instrumentation and experimental design.
• Contribute to the selection and validation of promising drug candidates based on biophysical properties.
• Prepare detailed reports, present findings at internal meetings and external conferences, and contribute to publications.
• Maintain and operate state-of-the‑art biophysical instrumentation.

Skills

SPR

ITC

MST

DLS

SAXS

Protein chemistry

Data analysis

Biophysics

Education

PhD in Biophysics

Tools

Biophysical instrumentation

Statistical analysis software

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Biophysicist for our client, a leading biopharmaceutical company, based in Sandton, Gauteng. The role focuses on applying biophysical methods to characterize drug candidates and understand target interactions within a state-of-the-art R&D environment.

You will lead experiments using SPR, ITC, MST, DLS and SAXS, analyze data, develop assays, collaborate with chemists and structural biologists, and contribute to publications while maintaining advanced