Senior Scientist

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Position Summary:                  

Illumina develop the world’s leading next generation DNA sequencing platforms (NGS) which are revolutionizing industries such as healthcare, life sciences, forensics, agro-sciences and clinical research to name a few. Due to Illumina’s drastic growth, there is a growing need for scientists who can apply innovative ideas to the development of our current reagents and formulations. In Singapore, the Reagent Sciences team is tasked to innovate and collaborate with our international team of experts to further improve the stability, performance and robustness of our consumable reagents.

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Scientist who is keen to be part of our culture of constantly pushing forward the boundaries of science and technology to benefit human health.  The successful candidate will carry out scientific R&D in the field of reagent stabilization, including reagent formulation and lyophilization process development to enhance and improve the reagents used in our NGS and microarray consumables.

Position Responsibilities: 

As a Senior Scientist in the Reagent Sciences (Singapore) team, you will collaboratively drive the design and development of high-quality, stabilized reagents for Illumina sequencing platforms. As Illumina technology continues to grow, you will be a key contributor within multidisciplinary teams striving to enhance performance and robustness across our entire reagent platform. Your colleagues will count on your biomolecular and/or biochemical expertise and ability to work in multidisciplinary teams to solve complex problems and work on reagent stability issues. You will leverage your expertise in biochemistry, enzymology or biomaterials and their interfaces to determine the critical parameters for reagents function, stability, and performance, particularly enzyme-based reagents.

To work as part of the Reagent Sciences team:

Responsibilities

• Engage in cross-functional and cross-site collaboration with Protein Research teams, Platform Integration teams, Reagent Manufacturing, Operations and QA/QC teams to accelerate the development of novel consumable reagents used in Illumina’s NGS platforms

• Design and execute experiments, analyze, and present data demonstrating feasibility of new methodologies/assays and processes including lyophilization technology

• Evaluate and employ analytical tools and techniques for protein and material characterization and demonstrate their predictive value for reagent performance and quality

• Characterize and optimize reagent formulations and lyophilization processing steps to enhance stability and robustness of our consumable products

• Be both a strong individual contributor as well as a collaborative team member within multi-disciplinary teams

• Written and verbal communication of plans, procedures, and results

• Write technical reports and prepare presentations for cross functional and cross-site technical teams

• Employ and explain statistical methods to drive decisions

Listed responsibilities are an essential, but not exhaustive list, of the usual duties associated with the position. Changes to individual responsibilities may occur due to business needs.

Position Requirements: 

• PhD in a relevant field such as biochemistry, biomaterial, material science or biochemical engineering will be desirable. Candidates with MS plus 3+ years of experience and/or BSc plus  5+ years of experience are also welcomed to apply

• Skilled in designing and using biophysical and biochemical techniques for characterization of reagents. Examples of biophysical techniques include DSC, DLS, CD, optical microscopy and rheometry. Biochemical techniques include activity assays, liquid chromatography, , electrophoresis and so on.

• A “can do” attitude, ability to work collaboratively in a team and good communication skills

• Applications with Cover Letter will be preferentially considered

All listed requirements are deemed as essential functions to this position; however, business conditions may require reasonable accommodations for additional task and responsibilities

Preferred Experience/Education/Skills: 

• Experience with enzymes involved in NGS sample preparation or methylation assays, such as transposes, ligases, TET or APOBEC is a plus

• Experience with formulation stabilization such as lyophilization is highly desired and will be preferentially considered

• Experience with material characterization for biocompatibility is a plus

• Experience of operating pilot-scale or large lab-scale biologically orientated processes such as lyophilization or cell culture (fermentation) at 20 litres or above is an advantage

• Experience with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a plus

• Understanding of protein biochemistry, engineering and structure is a plus

• Post-doctoral or other experience of working independently is a plus

Illumina believes that everyone has the ability to make an impact, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information.