Johnson and Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com

Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Pharmaceutical Product R&D

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium

Job Description:

Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

We are searching for the best talent for Principal Scientist Particulate & Colloidal systems.

Purpose:

The scientist will join the Advanced Materials Characterization and Investigations (AMCI) team within Synthetics Therapeutic Development & Supply - Analytical Development. AMCI is a diverse team of scientists performing advanced analytical characterization of pharmaceutical products and leading global analytical investigations in Synthetics R&D and the commercial product portfolio of J&J Innovative Medicine.

Join our team as a Principal Scientist specializing in Particulate & Colloidal systems.

In this role, you will have the exciting opportunity to characterize particulate systems covering both dry and wet systems spanning active ingredients, excipients, up to final dosage forms, enabling a holistic understanding of drug products. By studying key particle properties such as particle size, morphology, surface properties, etc.., you will explore how they influence bulk behavior, including powder flow in view of solid dosage formulation and process development. In wet systems, the activities span a wide range of formulations going from nanocrystalline suspensions to liposome-based formulations for which extensive characterization is needed towards development of stable systems & meeting the target product profile.

The position is based in Beerse, Belgium.

You will be responsible for:

• Design & conduct experiments to characterize particle properties, both in dry and wet systems. The materials span active ingredients, excipients, drug product intermediates and final drug product dosage forms, covering the entire Synthetics Product portfolio (incl. Small Molecule, Peptide, Oligonucleotides, etc.). You will ensure integration of the results and meet project deliverables.
• Collaborate closely at the interface between Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and Drug Products (DP) teams to enhance product development, i.e. selecting optimal API quality with respect to physical material attributes and DP formulation & manufacturing platforms.
• The scientist will continuously evaluate analytical characterization strategies to provide the best support possible to the project teams in CMC development.
• Drive internal & external innovation projects with respect to characterization approaches and workflows. This includes the assessment of novel characterization techniques and modeling.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, GMP and safety.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• PhD in Chemical (Bioscience)-Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, or equivalent by experience in a relevant area.
• Expertise in particle sizing technologies such as Scattering techniques (such as Laser diffraction, Dynamic light scattering) and use of microscopy (Light and electron microscopy) and image analysis systems enabling size & morphology assessment.
• Expertise in surface analysis techniques e.g. Gas adsorption, surface energy, etc. and porosity analysis
• Expertise in profound understanding of relation of particle properties to bulk behavior and processability of materials up to final product quality level. Characterization approaches of powder properties (such as powder flow, shear testing, triboelectrification properties, etc.)
• Knowledge of colloidal systems and characterization approaches including stabilization mechanisms (key techniques incl. DLS and related sizing methodologies, Zetapotential, Rheology, etc.)
• Knowledge of statistical methodologies incl. PCA/PLS.
• Background on crystallization and/or pharmaceutical formulation and process development is a plus.
• You have good project management skills as well as communication skills (oral and written) allowing effective interactions with all levels of the organization.
• You are a team player, able to work in matrix teams.
• Fast learner with scientific curiosity, self-steering, pro-active, creative.
• Open-minded, with ability to work together as one team in a global environment.