Polymer Chemist

1d1 day ago

Kodiak Sciences

Palo Alto, US · Full-time · $170,000 – $230,000

About this role

Kodiak Sciences is a fast-growing clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on ophthalmology. The Antibody Biopolymer Conjugate Drug (ABCD) platform merges protein engineering, organic chemistry, and polymer chemistry at the core of discovery. We seek a Polymer Chemist for the Polymer Sciences Team, passionate about new technologies using RDRP techniques.

The role involves synthesizing high-performance functional polymers with efficient organic chemistries and modern reversible deactivation radical polymerization. Hands-on work includes air-free synthesis to support ophthalmology drug delivery platform development. The candidate will optimize processes up to 100g scale and transfer to CMC teams.

Join a dynamic, collaborative research environment engineering innovative drug delivery solutions. Maintain awareness of technical literature and proactively introduce external technologies. Execute DOEs for polymer structure-property-performance correlations and develop automated synthesis systems.

Drive commercial innovation with GLP/GMP experience, designed experimentation, and project management. Characterize polymers using SEC-MALS, DLS, NMR, and others while supporting IP filings. Deliver impactful results, manage stakeholders, and contribute to R&D roadmap.

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
Experience in large-scale batch synthesis or scale-up using modern RDRP methods
Prior experience working with air- and moisture-sensitive substances using glovebox or Schlenk techniques
Polymer and materials characterization experience in SEC/GPC, NMR, UV-Vis, FT-IR, MALDI-ToF
Experience with polymer grafting, polymer end-group modification, and/or bioconjugate techniques
Experience with GMP/GLP, and manufacturing quality and project management tools (e.g., Six-Sigma)
Experience with automation in polymer chemistry for high throughput formulation screening

Responsibilities

Develop and optimize polymerization processes for up to 100g 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
Maintain awareness of technical literature and proactively bring in new technology from external community
Develop analytical techniques to characterize new polymers using SEC-MALS, DLS, NMR, viscosity and other relevant techniques
Summarize and report project results regularly with proper documentation and support intellectual property/patent filings
Manage stakeholder relationships, deliver impactful results on timelines, and provide strategic inputs to R&D roadmap