Senior Scientist in Cell Banking

Join the Cell Bank SE team

Hays Life Sciences is now looking to recruit a Senior Scientist in Cell Banking to join the Cell Bank SE team for a 1-year contract assignment at AstraZeneca in Gothenburg.

We now have an exciting opportunity for you to join our Cell Bank SE team in Gothenburg for 1 year as a Senior Scientist. The Cell Bank, part of Discovery Sciences, is a research unit key to the functioning of a large part of Discovery R&D, through storage and supply of stocks of all mammalian cell lines used within AstraZeneca (AZ). The unit works closely with a range of customers across many AZ sites, through the purchasing of all new cell lines, provision of cell lines in culture, generation of cell banks, cryopreservation, storage, and revival of banks, as well as supply of cells to local requestors, and shipments to other sites. To be successful in the role, we see you as a person that enjoys collaboration and team work, and effective interaction across functions, disciplines, and cultures.

This role will be focused on cell banking but may also include some cell engineering. You will be enabling science by acquiring, culturing and banking a large variety of mammalian cells including immortalised cell lines, primary cells and stem cells. The work will also include registration and tracking of cells in databases.

You will be primarily laboratory-based, however you will at times be required to work flexibly across the team to support other tasks.

Key Tasks

* Utilising expertise in cellular biology; independently culture and characterise all types of cells used in drug discovery projects, while incorporating the views of others
* Innovate in the field of cellular biology with a focus on banking and characterisation of cells
* Design and implement work-plans to agreed timelines to meet project objectives, including delivery of more than one agreed area of work in parallel
* Be an effective member of the global cell banking network across AstraZeneca, contributing novel ideas and using judgement and knowledge to influence the cell banking field

Essential skills, knowledge & competencies

* PhD in Cell biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry or a related discipline or a BSc/MSc degree with significant relevant experience, preferably in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry
* Expert in cell culturing and banking of a wide range of adherent and suspension mammalian cells; including cell lines, primary cells, iPSCs and stem cells at plate-, flask- and multi-layer cell stack scale
* Skilled in cellular biology techniques used to develop transient and stable cell lines
* Experience with handling of license agreements, material transfer agreements and ethical consents
* Computer literate: articulate, confident and competent in the use of Microsoft Word and Excel, and knowledge in using reagent databases
* Strong organisational and logistic skills

Desired skills

* Experience in working with human biological samples
* Differentiation and reprogramming of iPSCs
* Experience in isolation of primary cells from tissue and/or immortalisation of cells
* Understanding of molecular biology and design of DNA constructs