Principal Scientist - Bacteriologist/Molecular Genetics

Principal Scientist or Senior Principal Scientist, Bacteriologist/Molecular Geneticist - Global Biologics, Swine

Zoetis Veterinary Medicine Research and Development (VMRD), Swine Biologicals group in Kalamazoo, MI is seeking a Principal Scientist or Senior Principal Scientist, Molecular Bacteriologist, to further efforts in vaccine discovery and development to support introduction of novel products to the global swine industry. The successful candidate will be skilled in classic bacteriology, pathogenesis, molecular biology, and genetic techniques. The individual will have demonstrated skills and expertise in the theory and practical application of hypothesis-based research and data interpretation. They will employ their skills and experience in bacterial culture, genetic manipulation, and analytical characterization as well as use novel methodologies in genomics and bioinformatics to progress development of novel bacterial vaccines for pigs. They will use these skills via direct, hands-on approaches, and indirectly, via supporting others to support the goals of vaccine development. This job location is Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Position summary

Zoetis is the largest animal health company in the world with an industry-leading research and development team. The Swine Biologics group conducts basic and applied research to support development of safe and effective vaccines for the global swine industry. We are recruiting a highly motivated scientist to contribute to advancing strategies in swine vaccine development at Zoetis.This scientist will have a specific focus on applied bacteriology and vaccinology, and specific bacterial pathogens of swine (e.g. Streptococcus suis, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Glasserella parasuis, etc.).

Position responsibilities

The successful candidate will have a high degree of knowledge and experience in microbiology, especially as it relates to bacteriology, immunology, vaccine antigen identification, genetic manipulation or modification of bacteria, vaccine strain construction, and novel technologies related to chimeric antigen design, vector construction, and bacterial gene editing. The individual will work independently as a Principal Scientist or Senior Principal Scientist, will collaborate with others, and may direct others, conducting basic and/or applied research to address unmet needs in swine vaccine development.

The individual will work independently and as a member of a cross-functional team to obtain and deploy expertise required to further the research goals. They will direct and mentor other scientists in developing laboratory skills, including bacterial vaccine development and characterization. They will be a key team member in developing research strategies and testable hypotheses and progressing bacterial biologic product discovery and development. They will not have direct reports at this time.

The individual will design and perform hypothesis-based laboratory studies. The individual will review, interpret, and apply relevant literature applicable to the research goal. They will develop specific, testable hypotheses and contribute expertise to: identifying immunogenic epitopes, proteins, or other moieties of swine bacterial pathogens, characterize vaccine targets using proven and novel technologies, and progress live and/or non-replicating approaches supporting vaccine development for swine.

The individual will provide hands-on technical experience and routinely apply a variety of microbiological, bacteriological, bioinformatic, or molecular biology techniques. They will perform microbial culture, genetic manipulation, characterization, testing, and bench scale propagation in close interaction with downstream and functional partner groups. They will be using state of the art techniques to better understand bacteria and apply that knowledge to progress novel vaccines. Studies will be directed to the generation and identification of novel bacterial vaccine candidates.

The individual will be responsible for recognizing when the organization lacks specific techniques, methods, and technologies. The individual will advocate and introduce novel techniques and methods into the Zoetis repertoire. This may entail recommendations to acquire equipment or methodologies from universities or institutes. The individual will also be responsible for critically assessing and evaluating novel vaccine opportunities offered to Zoetis by external parties. The individual will contribute to the vaccine project portfolio as a technical leader with novel and rational vaccine proposals and technical approaches.

The individual will consistently demonstrate a rational approach to problem solving, good laboratory safety awareness and notebook documentation, and regularly leverage the scientific literature to critically assess and enhance understanding of animal diseases and technologies to generate novel methods and testable hypotheses for new product ideas. The individual will use excellent communication skills and work across functional groups within Zoetis to further the research goals. They will contribute to vaccines development in a timely and efficient manner. The individual will prepare internal and external presentations and publications as appropriate to support team, organizational, and personal goals.

Preferred Experience

The successful candidate will have experience in conducting laboratory, hypothesis-based research.

• Expertise in maintenance of and experimentation with bacteria cultures, bacterial characterization, and bacterial modification is required. Direct experience with growth and manipulation of important bacterial pathogens of relevance to swine is desired.
• Expertise in the genetic manipulation and engineering of bacterial species is required. Experience with bacterial genetic engineering systems beyond E. coli is required. Direct application of CRISPR gene editing tools to prokaryotic cells is desired.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques including DNA extraction, PCR, and microbe manipulation, quantification, and cloning. Experience with genetic sequence analysis and knowledge of bioinformatics tools/databases, BLAST, DNASTAR/Lasergene, etc, is required. Experience with genomic based approaches used for identification of virulence factors and candidate gene-deleted or protein-based vaccine approaches (Ingenuity Pathways Analysis, VFdb, IEdb, and AlfaFold) is preferred.
• Knowledge of non-protein antigens (capsule, LPS, carbohydrates) and conjugation chemistry is beneficial.
• Experience with the vaccine discovery process or adjacent space is desired.
• Ability to proactively apply practical laboratory experience in a cross-functional team is required.

Minimum Qualifications

PhD, DVM/PhD, or MS in bacteriology or microbiology or closely related field.

Extensive training/experience in bacteriology with an emphasis on genetic manipulation / engineering, microbe-host interaction, molecular or genotypic characterization, and culture modification is preferred.

Ability to work independently and on teams on research projects within area of specialization and excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Working knowledge of MS Office programs (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is essential.

Any unsolicited resumes sent to Zoetis from a third party, such as an Agency recruiter, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Zoetis mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Zoetis employees, or to Zoetis resume database will be considered Zoetis property. Zoetis will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.

Zoetis will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. This includes any Agency that is an approved/engaged vendor but does not have the appropriate approvals to be engaged on a search.