Principal Research Scientist II - Process Chemistry

1w1 week ago

AbbVie

North Chicago, US · Full-time · $170,000 – $230,000

About this role

The Process Chemistry group invents and executes chemical processes for preparing active pharmaceutical ingredients to enable toxicology studies, clinical trials, and drug product development. This work creates valuable intellectual property through composition of matter, chemical processes, and technology for safe, cost-effective commercial manufacturing.

AbbVie seeks a Principal Research Scientist II with deep biocatalysis expertise to lead development of enzyme-catalyzed processes for scalable API synthesis. The role requires strong synthetic organic chemistry skills plus integration of AI/ML tools, bioinformatics, and high-throughput experimentation for enzyme discovery and directed evolution.

You will participate in or lead project teams developing processes for small molecules, peptides, antibody-drug conjugates, and other modalities. Responsibilities include setting strategies, defining timelines, and providing mentorship within a matrixed team while authoring technical reports, regulatory documents, and patents.

The position offers opportunities to connect unrelated concepts for novel ideas and present findings at internal and external scientific forums. You will adhere to GxP compliance, safety standards, and appropriate material handling while advancing AbbVie’s pipeline of innovative medicines.

Requirements

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD Degree in organic chemistry with typically 16+ (BS), 14+ (MS) or 8+ (PhD) years of experience.
Deep expertise in biocatalysis and a strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry.
Technical versatility to integrate modern computational and high-throughput experimentation tools into process development.
Experience leading enzyme discovery, directed evolution campaigns, and application of AI/ML for enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Responsibilities

Lead the setting and implementation of strategies for solving complex synthetic problems via biocatalytic methods.
Lead identification and design of enzymes, recombinant DNA techniques, heterologous protein expression, and directed evolution to engineer improved biocatalysts.
Leverage AI/ML tools, bioinformatics platforms, and high-throughput experimentation to accelerate enzyme screening and process development.
Participate in and lead project teams for process development and characterization across small molecules, peptides, and antibody-drug conjugates.
Lead a group of scientists, set project strategies and responsibilities, define timelines, and provide mentorship in a matrixed setting.
Author and review technical reports, regulatory documents, patents, and scientific publications while presenting at scientific forums.