Polymer Chemist

5d5 days ago

Kodiak Sciences

Palo Alto, US · Full-time · $150,000 – $200,000

About this role

Kodiak Sciences is a fast-growing clinical-stage biotechnology company with a strong focus in ophthalmology. We are seeking a Polymer Chemist to join the Polymer Sciences Team in the Department of Chemistry. The role centers on the Antibody Biopolymer Conjugate Drug platform that merges protein engineering, organic chemistry, and polymer chemistry.

The candidate will apply highly efficient organic chemistries and modern reversible deactivation radical polymerization techniques to synthesize functional polymers at up to 100 g scale. Responsibilities include developing automated synthesis systems and designing DOEs to establish polymer structure-property-performance correlations.

This person will join a dynamic, collaborative research environment focused on engineering a new drug delivery platform for ophthalmology applications. The work requires hands-on experience with air-free synthesis techniques using glovebox or Schlenk methods and polymer characterization by SEC-MALS, NMR, and related tools.

The successful candidate will support tech transfer to CMC teams, maintain awareness of technical literature, and proactively bring in new technology from the external community while following laboratory safety and training guidelines.

Requirements

Ph.D. in polymer chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field.
Hands-on experience in modern RDRP polymerizations and air-free synthesis techniques using glovebox or Schlenk methods.
Prior experience working with air- and moisture-sensitive substances is required.
Experience with polymer and materials characterization including SEC/GPC, NMR, UV-Vis, FT-IR, and MALDI-ToF is required.
Prior experience with polymer grafting, polymer end-group modification, and bioconjugate techniques is highly preferred.
Experience with automation in polymer chemistry for high throughput formulation screening is a strong plus.
Prior experience with GMP/GLP and project management tools such as Six-Sigma is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and optimize polymerization processes for up to 100 g scale functional polymer synthesis.
Support tech and process transfer of leading polymeric materials to development and CMC teams.
Develop an automated synthesis system for high throughput formulation screening and validation.
Design and execute DOEs to establish key polymer structure-property-performance correlations.
Develop analytical techniques to characterize new polymers using SEC-MALS, DLS, NMR, viscosity and other relevant methods.
Summarize and report project results regularly with proper documentation and support intellectual property filings.
Maintain awareness of technical literature and proactively bring in new technology from the external community.