Preclinical and Translational PK & PKPD Scientist

Are you a Scientist with a flair for mathematical modelling and knowledge of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics? Are you passionate about PKPD and model-based drug discovery? Would you like to apply your knowledge in a global company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? If you are ready to drive innovation and make meaningful impacts in the PKPD field, then you could be the new colleague we are looking for to be part of the development of future treatment within respiratory and immunology.



Working at AstraZeneca means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. We are now recruiting a highly skilled and passionate scientist with expertise in mathematical modelling, preferably applied in the field of pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PKPD), to join the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) team of project leads within the Early Respiratory and Immunology (R&I) therapeutic area at AstraZeneca in Gothenburg, Sweden.



Early R&I is one of the three main therapeutic research areas within AstraZeneca which deliver candidate drugs into late-stage clinical development. DMPK interacts with other functions in supporting Early R&I projects all along the value chain, from target selection all the way to market launch and life-cycle management. At AstraZeneca we are proud to have an outstanding workplace culture that encourages innovation and teamwork. We are united by our vision to push the boundaries of DMPK science to transform ideas into medicines for R&I patients.



This position will be on-site in Gothenburg, Sweden and will not have the ability to be located remotely. The position can be filled at Senior Scientist, Associate Principal Scientist (APS) or Principal scientist (PS) level, depending on background, experience and skills.



What you'll do
As a PKPD scientist you will be involved in many tasks related to PK and PKPD assessment, modelling and translation. You will represent the department in highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary project teams in early R&I across a broad range of drug modalities from target identification to life cycle management. We believe that you have solid, hands-on experience of PKPD modeling and that you will be able to provide expert advice and interpretation of complex drug discovery data.



Main Duties and Responsibilities include:
* Build appropriate mathematical models (e.g. traditional PKPD modelling, non-linear effects modelling, quantitative systems pharmacology) and perform simulations of human PK and PD based on preclinical (in vitro/in vivo) data and literature data on relevant drugs to deliver a translational quantitative PKPD strategy in projects.
* Integrate the appropriate data to predict human pharmacokinetics, efficacious human drug exposure, human longitudinal response (e.g. biomarker and disease effects), and human dosing regimen. This is done in close collaboration with other functions (biologists, safety scientists, clinical pharmacologist and clinical pharmacometricians).
* Inform and influence the design of preclinical PK and PKPD studies to answer relevant pharmacological questions and report results and interpretations and contribute to estimation of safety margins and report results and interpretations to project teams and internal governance bodies.
* Communicate scientific progress to internal and external stakeholders



Essential for the role
* PhD/MSc in mathematics, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, chemistry or related field, with substantial relevant pharmaceutical industry experience.
* Solid understanding of PKPD and hands on experience of mathematical modelling (e.g. empirical PKPD models, in vitro-in vivo translation, non-linear mixed effects models, quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models).

* Experience working in cross-functional project teams with a proactive and collaborative mindset and excellent communication skills.
* Working knowledge of PKPD software (e.g. Phoenix WinNonlin, Matlab, R, NONMEM, or similar) and the ability to critically assess PKPD data.
* Tried scientific leadership and ability to mentor junior colleagues
* Scientific leadership evidenced by a publication track record and ability to independently lead the drafting and review of publication manuscripts.
* Excellent interpersonal skills



Why AstraZeneca?
As we know employees are critical to our current and future success, we are dedicated to being a great place to work and we offer competitive benefits and services. You are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There is no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. AstraZeneca has an inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration - always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development.



What's next?
This is an exciting opportunity for a talented modeller to join a strong, dynamic team and support the portfolio of a major pharmaceutical company that has science at its heart whilst being based in the beautiful city of Gothenburg, Sweden.



If you are ready to make a difference - apply today, and we'll make it happen together! We welcome your application until 31 August, 2024. For more information about the position, please contact recruiting manager Nina Lawrence at Nina.Lawrence@astrazeneca.com



Note: Due to the summer vacation period in Sweden, the screening process may take a bit longer than usual. Please bear with us, and we will get back to you as soon as possible when we are back mid/end of August.