Preclinical Bioassay Scientist (80-100%)

Advance Vaccine Development Through Robust Immunological Assays

Join a Swiss clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, dedicated to halting the increasing threat of global infections due to emerging antimicrobial resistance and sexually transmitted diseases. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of life-saving vaccines by generating high-quality preclinical data that supports vaccine candidate selection and development decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, qualify, and troubleshoot immunological and cell-based assays to support vaccine development, including ELISA, MSD, flow cytometry, intracellular cytokine staining, OPA, SBA, neutralization assays, and other cell-based methods.
• Generate high-quality preclinical data using analytical platforms such as flow cytometry, microscopy, Cytation imaging systems, and multiplex immunoassays.
• Ensure assay robustness by establishing appropriate controls, acceptance criteria, qualification strategies, and data quality standards.
• Analyze, interpret, visualize, and report experimental data using statistical and scientific software to support vaccine candidate selection and development decisions.
• Support the Preclinical Project Manager or manage non-clinical studies with external collaborators in their execution.
• Prepare assay protocols, technical reports, scientific presentations, and supporting documentation for research, development, and regulatory activities in a timely and accurate manner.
• Present scientific findings at internal and external meetings and contribute to technical and scientific discussions.
• Maintain laboratory documentation, databases, equipment, reagents, and sample inventories in accordance with internal procedures and quality standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, external laboratories, and contract research organizations to support assay transfer, method development and qualification, and study execution.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, quality standards, and standard operating procedures, while staying current with advances in vaccine immunology, analytical technologies, and assay methodologies.

Qualifications and Skills

• A Master's degree or higher in immunology, biology, microbiology, cell biology, or a related life sciences field.
• A minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience in preclinical research and in the development, optimization, qualification, and troubleshooting of assays.
• Expertise in immunological and cellular techniques, including ELISA, MSD, flow cytometry, intracellular cytokine staining, multiplex immunoassays, bactericidal assays, neutralization assays, and cell-based assays for vaccine characterization.
• Experience with microscopy-based methods and imaging platforms such as Cytation systems or comparable high-content imaging technologies.
• A strong background in experimental design, data analysis, and statistical interpretation, including experience with GraphPad Prism and FlowJo.
• Knowledge of bacterial vaccine development and immunology.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and reliable documentation practices, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Excel.

Work Environment

The position is based in Schlieren near Zürich, easily accessible by public transportation. This is an opportunity to work in a friendly, highly motivated, and dynamic team, contributing to early- to mid-stage vaccine development in a collaborative environment.