Scientist III - Virology & Immunology

Senior Scientist - Scientist III
Length of Contract: 6 months with possibility of extension
Location/Site: Abbott Park at Lake County, IL 100% onsite
Hourly Pay Rate: $57-60/hr (Employee benefits available at a cost)

Orion Group is seeking a highly motivated and innovative scientist with a background in Virology, Immunology, and/or Molecular Biology to join our global pharmaceutical client's Virology team in North Chicago, IL.

We are looking for a Sr. Scientist with experience in cell culture, virus generation and propagation, high-throughput assays, as well as standard molecular biology and biochemical techniques. Above all, we are looking for a highly motivated and collaborative individual with a passion for research, who enjoys working in a fast-paced and highly dynamic working environment.

Key Responsibilities:
* Assist/Lead project development for specific targets of the antiviral program.
* Develop novel in vitro and ex vivo assays to validate and characterize therapeutic entities.
* Perform mammalian cell culture and independently develop, run, analyze and troubleshoot in vitro assays, such as cell-based activity assays, virus generation and propagation, and high throughput screening assays.
* Resolve key project hurdles and assumptions by effectively utilizing available information and technical expertise and innovation.
* Manage multiple tasks simultaneously under fixed timelines. Contribute to various projects outside of his/her own and collaborate with partners from all relevant functions.
* Contribute to the preparation of projects related documents, prepare clear and concise summaries of their data, and present them to the project team.
* Proactively support the team by being a team player and foster strong cross team and cross functional collaborations.
* Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual project(s) as well as the overall program.
* Maintain a high level of productivity in the laboratory setting.
* Publish research in peer-reviewed journals.

Qualifications:
* PhD in Virology, Immunology, Molecular Biology or related field with at least 0-3+ years of relevant experience.
* Experience in virology research and work in a BSL2/3 facility is required.
* Experience with Coronaviruses or HIV is highly preferred.
* Extensive expertise in mammalian cell culture is required.
* Proficiency in a wide range of virology laboratory techniques (virus generation and propagation, anti-viral screening assays).
* Proficiency in a wide range of molecular biology and immunology techniques (Molecular cloning, RNA/DNA isolation, qPCR, immunoprecipitation, CHIP, EMSA, ELISA, ELISpot, flow cytometry, and proliferation/cytotoxicity assays).
* Experience in analyzing next generation sequencing and multi-omics datasets is preferred.
* Must possess the ability to design experiments and think independently.
* Strong communication and organizational skills, especially the ability to work across multiple scientific disciplines and functions.

Key Leadership Competencies
* Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance.
* Learns fast, grasps the ?essence", and can change course quickly where indicated.
* Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
* Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
* Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.
* Generate new research or development strategies to effectively address project and divisional goals/needs.


What hours and days will this person be working?
8 hours per day and 5 days per week

What are the top 5 skills/requirements this person is required have?
Required Skill 1: strong virology experiences especially in lentivirus and HIV
Required Skill 2: experiences in generating VSV based vector and recover VSV chimeric viruses from
mammalian cells
Required Skill 3: Strong immunology skills including isolating and culturing primary T cell subsets and
NK cells from human blood, ELISA, ELISpot, and multi-color flow cytometry
Required Skill 4: Excellent communication, organizational and time-management skills
Required Skill 5: self-motivated and can effectively handle multiple tasks at one time

What years of experience, education, and/or certification is required?
A PhD in virology or Immunology field with 0-3 years of postdoctoral experience

What is a nice to have (but not required) regarding skills, requirements, experience, education, or certification?
- Experience in next generation sequencing, muti-omics analysis, CRIPSR screening, and drug discovery (small molecule or biologics).
- Strong publication record.
- Motivation in writing and publishing scientific manuscripts.

What is the environment that this person will be working in (i.e. group setting vs individual role):
The candidate will report to the principal scientist and work closely with other scientist/senior scientist to achieve the team's business goals. The candidate will also work on early discovery projects individually.

Other notable details about the environment from the hiring manager about this role:
The Virology group is composed of 8 scientists and has extensive collaborations with internal departments and academic labs regarding drug discovery. The candidate for this role will have many learning and growth opportunities.

What positions/background experience do you feel are successful in this role:
PhD graduates in virology or Immunology field with 0-3 years postdoctoral experience will be ideal for this role.

Our role in supporting diversity and inclusion
As an international workforce business, we are committed to sourcing personnel that reflects the diversity and values of our client base but also that of Orion Group. We welcome the wide range of experiences and viewpoints that potential workers bring to our business and our clients, including those based on nationality, gender, culture, educational and professional backgrounds, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, and age differences, job classification and religion. In our inclusive workplace, regardless of your employment status as staff or contract, everyone is assured the right of equitable, fair and respectful treatment.