Biochemistry Research Associate - Enzymology (Gene-to-Assay)

Pierre Fabre

Toulouse, France

Your mission

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated Biochemistry Research Associate to join our Oncology Drug Discovery team and support our small molecule/antibody identification and characterization efforts.

The ideal candidate will have relevant experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, with sound hands-on expertise in designing, executing and interpreting biochemistry experiments, using state-of-the-art bioinformatics, molecular biology, protein expression/purification, enzymatic activity- and binding assay development techniques.

This position is a lab-based and attached to our Oncopôle site in Toulouse, France.

Key Responsibilities

Design protein constructs for functional/structural characterization purposes;
Generate vectors for heterologous recombinant protein expression in bacteria, insect- and/or mammalian cell hosts;
Develop and optimize methods for protein extraction, purification, characterization and quantification with a high level of independent critical thinking;
Characterize protein activity and biomolecular interactions in support to target discovery and validation efforts by the target discovery and enablement teams;
Ensure high-quality data generation, analysis, and timely report to project teams;
Leverage lab automation to improve assay operation, quality, and overall productivity;
Properly document experimental design, findings, and protocols and comply with all laboratory training and safety requirements;
Collaborate with multi-disciplinary project teams and communicate scientific/technical contributions to deliver on project goals in relevant meetings;
Establish relationships and coordinate collaborations with vendors, external partners and CROs to achieve high standards of productivity and quality, extend internal capabilities and optimally serve project needs;
Drive scientific and technical innovations to develop and enhance functional capabilities.

Who you are?

Your skills at the service of innovative projects:

MSc in Biochemistry, Biophysics or related field with 5+ years’ experience in a biotech/pharmaceutical setting (or recent Ph.D. with relevant exposure to drug discovery);
Demonstrated hands-on proficiency with heterologous protein expression systems, and protein extraction and purification methods (e.g. chemical and mechanical cell lysis, ultracentrifugation, dialysis, batch- and column liquid chromatography);
Command of several techniques for the characterization of enzyme activities, protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions (e.g. UV/VIS and fluorescence spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, isothermal calorimetry, microscale thermophoresis, chemical and thermal unfolding/denaturation assays, analytical ultracentrifugation, circular dichroism, interferometry, static- and dynamic light scattering);
Expertise with mechanistic enzymology and/or molecular pharmacology are highly desired;
Working knowledge of adjacent disciplines for protein structure characterization is a plus;
Proficiency with relevant data processing analysis and visualization software tools;
Experience in oncology is a plus;
Motivated and agile team player with the ability to work in a collaborative environment across the R&D organization;
Excellent verbal, and written communication skills in English are essential.