Senior Scientist Nucleoside Chemistry

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Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Your Role:

The Oligonucleotide Therapeutics group of EMD Serono in Billerica, MA, is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative 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 utilize their strong synthetic chemistry expertise, sound judgment in molecular design, and their ability to work closely with Oligonucleotide synthesis, analytical, and formulation colleagues to advance promising concepts from early discovery through lead optimization. This role is intended for an experimental nucleoside and medicinal chemist who combines a strong foundation in and hands-on experience in the synthesis of novel nucleoside analogs, peptide and small molecules. In this role, you will help advance novel oligonucleotide therapeutics from early discovery toward preclinical development by developing robust in vitro assays, generating high-quality biological data, and contributing to the selection of next-generation therapeutic candidates.

You will be responsible for designing, executing, and optimizing cellular and molecular biology workflows to evaluate oligonucleotide activity, including target engagement, mRNA knockdown, protein modulation, and mechanism of action. Working closely with chemistry, formulation, and translational research teams, you will help evaluate novel oligonucleotide sequences, chemical modifications, and delivery strategies while contributing to the advancement of our oligonucleotide therapeutic platform.

Responsibilities:

Design and synthesize nucleoside analogues, functionalized building blocks, linkers, and conjugates for intracellular delivery applications.

Design and synthesize 2’F nucleoside analogs and related modified nucleoside building blocks for incorporation into oligonucleotides.

Develop and optimize chemistry for 5′-phosphate-modified oligonucleotides, including suitable building blocks, reagents, and on-support or post-synthetic modification workflows as appropriate to the project.

Develop and evaluate molecular strategies for endosomal escape, including approaches to tune charge, hydrophobicity, ionization, degradability, and target-payload association.

Plan and execute multistep synthesis, purification, and structural characterization; troubleshoot challenging reactions and improve routes for reproducibility, yield, and material quality.

Apply appropriate analytical methods to confirm identity, purity, stability, and conjugate composition; maintain clear and complete experimental records.

Drive innovation to improve circulating half-life, tissue penetration, cellular uptake, and intracellular bioavailability of payloads

Present project updates, technical recommendations, and risks to multidisciplinary teams; author reports and contributes to invention disclosures and publications as appropriate.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams including computational chemistry, biology, and pharmacology to drive project success.

Who You Are:

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or other Science field with 5+ years of experience in nucleoside chemistry

Preferred Qualifications:

Demonstrated expertise in multistep organic synthesis and a record of delivering complex molecules or conjugates

Practical experience with nucleoside chemistry and/or bioconjugation, linker design, or payload conjugation

Strong understanding of how molecular properties can affect solubility, stability, membrane interaction, cellular uptake, and intracellular trafficking

Familiarity with 5′-end functionalization or phosphorylation chemistry, or the ability to develop and optimize such methods

Proficiency with routine compound characterization and analytical techniques, such as NMR, LC–MS, HPLC, and related methods

Excellent scientific communication, project planning, and problem-solving skills; ability to work independently while contributing to shared goal

Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex data into internally as well as with CRO’s

Pay Range for this position: $112,800 - $169,200

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click here .

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!