Scientist II Gene Therapy and Viral Vaccines

Work Schedule

Environmental Conditions

Job Description

Discover Impactful Work
Do you have a passion for innovative ideas and groundbreaking discoveries? We are seeking a Scientist II who is exceptionally creative and has experience in virology, gene therapy, cell culture, and other biotechnology applications. This role will complement our interdisciplinary team of development scientists at our Hunt Valley, MD site. You will directly contribute to various projects and analysis of scientific data to build novel products and services. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, youll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life - enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while taking science a step beyond through research, development and delivery of life-changing therapies.

A Day in the Life:
Support multiple project teams to assess new technologies, develop novel products, support customer needs, and drive process efficiencies on viral vaccine or gene therapy-focused projects.
Work effectively in BSL-2+ biocontainment laboratories using all relevant assays and culture systems.
Design scientifically robust experimental plans, lead study execution, analyze experimental data, interpret results, and share findings with colleagues.
Manage complex scientific projects requiring independent action and high degrees of initiative within broadly defined practices, exhibiting creativity, practical judgment, and foresight in selecting approaches and techniques to acquire innovative solutions.
Ensure efficient lab operations through routine activities such as adherent and suspension cell culture maintenance, media/feed/supplement preparation, and equipment, reagent, and supply maintenance.
Keep lab notebooks and training files accurate and align with all company safety, training, and quality regulations and procedures as per Thermo Fisher standards and international regulations.
Perform other related duties as required and/or assigned.

Keys to Success:
Education
Bachelors degree with 3+ years of experience or Masters degree in Virology, Microbiology, Biology, or a related field, or equivalent knowledge and experience.
Experience with mammalian cell cultures, handling/infectivity techniques of multiple viruses, and the ability to perform and report technical work in containment laboratories (BSL2+).
Minimum Qualifications:
Experience in adherent and suspension mammalian cell cultures (e.g., HEK293, Vero, MDCK).
Experience in viral infectivity techniques like dPCR, qPCR, ELISA, TCID50 for genomic, particle, infectious titer and proficiency in performing various immuno- and nucleic acid assays.
Strong teamwork orientation with interpersonal skills to support an effective team dynamic.
Strong organizational skills with a proven track record of working effectively both independently and as a great teammate with the ability to efficiently evaluate and adapt to changing project priorities..
Experience in data analysis, research design, troubleshooting, and the evaluation of new techniques and procedures.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the skill to interpret and present scientific results in a clear, concise manner.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience with AAV, Lentivirus, Adenovirus, and/or other Gene Therapy workflows (e.g., DNA transfection, viral transduction, viral infection).
Prior industrial experience, particularly in process development and/or cell culture media formulation.
Experience with insect cell lines.
Experience using DOE tools and methodologies.
Understanding of next-generation sequencing.
Familiarity with the operation of bench-top stirred tank bioreactors and/or high efficiency cell culture technologies (e.g., ambr15).

Benefits
Thermo Fisher Scientific offers employment with an innovative, forward-thinking organization, and career and development prospects. We offer an exciting company culture that stands for integrity, intensity, involvement, and innovation!
We provide comprehensive benefits including comprehensive training, annual incentive plan bonus, medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, employee assistance program, wellness program options and more!
Other benefits include:
401k with matching contributions, life insurance, long term and short term disability insurance, flexible medical and dependent care spending accounts.
Work life balance programs including paid time off for vacation/sick time, paid holidays, floating holiday.

Compensation and Benefits

This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results in accordance with company policy. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that our U.S. colleagues and their families can count on, which includes:

• A choice of national medical and dental plans, and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs

• Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement

• At least 120 hours paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays annually, paid parental leave (3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave), accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy

• Retirement and savings programs, such as our competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan

• Employees Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount

For more information on our benefits, please visit: