Research Scientist VIE – Molecular Biology & mAb Discovery

Job Description

Research Scientist – VIE Contract | Sanofi

The Tone:
This is a VIE (Volontariat International en Entreprise) contract position at Sanofi, located in Waltham, United States of America. Sanofi is an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company dedicated to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth by inventing medicines and vaccines. This Research Scientist role is crucial for advancing antibody discovery and characterization against pathogenic targets, directly contributing to global immunization efforts and shaping the future of prevention with next-gen science.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Contract
• Location: In-person, Waltham, MA

• Team: Molecular Biology & mAb Discovery team, within Vaccines
• Mission: Advance antibody discovery and characterization against pathogenic targets to contribute to global immunization.
• Tech Stack: flow cytometry, cell sorting, single cell genomics approaches, NGS, SPR, Octet, ELISA, Microsoft Office Suite, software for data analysis

What You’ll Actually Do
• Analyze scientific literature: Conduct bibliography analysis to identify new technical developments relevant to antibody discovery programs.
• Advance scientific methods: Identify and implement novel approaches in immunology, antibody discovery, single cell technologies, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to support innovative and rapid methods.
• Perform and present experiments: Set up and execute experiments using various techniques, then formally and informally present obtained results in platform, scrum reviews, and grand reviews.
• Support technology integration: Assist in the identification and acquisition of new technologies and equipment, and collaborate with contract research organizations (CROs) when necessary.
• Maintain laboratory operations: Document all experimental work in electronic lab notebooks and perform essential laboratory support activities, including equipment maintenance and supply ordering.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Master’s Degree in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Engineering, or a similar field. This position is part of an international development program targeting young professionals aged 18-28.
• Experience: A minimum of 1 year of full-time working experience in antibody discovery, immunology, and/or molecular biology. This includes strong experience in the theoretical understanding and practical performance of immunology and/or molecular biology methods, analytical approaches, and the use of associated software.
• Skills: Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative attitude for working in multidisciplinary teams. The ability to independently exercise judgment, plan, and execute experiments in a timely manner is critical. Candidates must be highly motivated, reliable, well-organized, proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, and fluent in English.
• Bonus: Hands-on experience with flow cytometry and/or cell sorting (including associated software packages), single cell genomics approaches, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), and/or antibody identification. Experience with protein biochemistry and/or protein characterization (such as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), Biolayer Interferometry (Octet), ELISA) is also a plus. Familiarity with common software and tools for data analysis in immunology and/or antibody discovery.