Senior Scientist / Principal Scientist, Protein Engineering
Location: Maryland, USA (onsite)
About the Opportunity
Nexagen Search is partnering with an innovative biotechnology company to recruit a Senior Scientist / Principal Scientist, Protein Engineering. Our client is expanding its biologics discovery capabilities and seeking an experienced scientist with expertise in display technologies, antibody engineering, and high-throughput screening. This is a hands-on, individual contributor opportunity for a scientist interested in advancing protein engineering technologies and applying them to therapeutic discovery. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence experimental strategies, develop and optimize display-based selection platforms, and collaborate with an experienced multidisciplinary research team.The position offers substantial scientific ownership and the opportunity to contribute to the development of next-generation biologic therapeutics.
Key Responsibilities
Protein Engineering & Antibody Discovery
- Design and execute display-based selection campaigns to identify and optimize therapeutic antibodies and other protein binders.
- Engineer proteins to improve binding affinity, specificity, stability, and functional properties, including pH-dependent binding and epitope accessibility.
- Develop and optimize antibody libraries and selection strategies across relevant therapeutic formats.
Display Platform Development & High-Throughput Screening
- Advance yeast and/or phage display workflows, including library construction, screening, and lead enrichment.
- Optimize high-throughput screening approaches utilizing flow cytometry, FACS-based selections, and next-generation sequencing (NGS).
- Develop innovative screening strategies to evaluate diverse antibody repertoires and accelerate lead identification.
- Explore automated and cell-free protein expression technologies to improve screening efficiency.
Experimental Design & Data Analysis
- Design and execute experiments supporting iterative protein engineering and lead optimization.
- Analyze complex experimental datasets to inform protein design and candidate selection.
- Troubleshoot technical challenges and implement improvements to experimental workflows.
- Maintain accurate experimental documentation and contribute to laboratory procedures and best practices.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with scientists across protein engineering, molecular biology, cell biology, and assay development.
- Support the design of specialized reagents, engineered cell lines, and functional assays for therapeutic lead characterization.
- Communicate scientific findings, experimental results, and technical recommendations to research teams.
Qualifications
Required
- PhD in Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, Cell Biology, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with yeast display technologies.
- Experience with antibody or protein engineering, including library generation, selection, screening, and optimization.
- Strong proficiency in flow cytometry and FACS-based library screening and cell sorting.
- Experience analyzing experimental data using tools such as FlowJo, GraphPad Prism, FCS Express, or comparable platforms.
- Strong experimental troubleshooting, analytical, and scientific communication skills.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary research environment.
Preferred
- Industry experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical drug discovery.
- Direct experience engineering therapeutic antibody formats, including IgG, Fab, scFv, or VHH/nanobodies.
- Experience developing and optimizing yeast display platforms and high-diversity antibody libraries.
- Familiarity with NGS-enabled screening, sequence analysis, and data-driven protein engineering.
- Experience with high-throughput automation, protein expression, or functional assay development.
- Demonstrated ability to independently drive scientific projects from experimental design through execution and interpretation.
Compensation & Benefits
The anticipated base salary range is $115,000–$165,000 annually, depending on experience, qualifications, and position level.
Additional compensation may include discretionary annual bonuses and equity incentives, subject to company policies and eligibility requirements.
Apply if you are a protein engineer passionate about antibody discovery, display technologies, and developing innovative biologic therapeutics, we would welcome the opportunity to connect.
Nexagen Search is managing this search on behalf of our client. Additional information about the organization, research programs, and opportunity will be shared with qualified candidates during the introductory process.
Work Authorization: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Employment-based visa support is not currently available for this position.