Specialist Scientist - Structural Biology & Purification

Are you passionate about contributing to global health and vaccine innovation? Afrigen Biologics is seeking a qualified and experienced Specialist Scientist to join our R&D team, providing purification and/or structural biology expertise and support to various development projects. The appointee will also provide technical support to the analytics team where needed. The successful candidate may be involved in training (& mentorship) of scientists/engineers and production staff and contribute to a portfolio of R&D projects. The candidate should be comfortable working in a diverse, interdisciplinary team and managing multiple projects/tasks.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Optimisation of mRNA vaccine antigen purification workflow
2. Development & optimisation of purification technologies required for pDNA purification
3. Development of purification process trains required for other Afrigen vaccine-related products
4. Training of Afrigen scientists on purification and structural biology aspects, both in concept and hands-on training
5. Structural biology expertise for functional expression of antigens (mRNA and others)
6. Contribute to analytics development, troubleshooting, data analyses where needed and appropriate
7. Excellent organization and time management skills
8. Excellent written and verbal communication skills (demonstrated through publications)
9. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
10. Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and data entry
11. Good problem-solving and creative thinking skills and well-developed personal stress management skills
12. Capable of working as part of a multidisciplinary team with strong communication and interpersonal skills
13. Comply with the company’s documentation practices and write progress reports
14. Abide by the company’s health and safety policies and procedures

Qualifications and Experience :

1. PhD degree in Medical Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, or related field
2. Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience in a research and development environment
3. Exposure and understanding of scientific principles governing the production of vaccines and/or biologicals
4. Knowledge of quality and regulatory compliance, i.e., SAHPRA and WHO. Knowledge of cGMP (SA, PIC, WHO) and GLP guidelines
5. Knowledge and experience in analytical method development, particularly bioanalytics, will be an advantage