Kodiak Sciences is a fast-growing clinical-stage biotechnology company with a singular focus in ophthalmology. Our Antibody Biopolymer Conjugate (ABC) platform merges the fields of protein engineering and polymer chemistry and is at the core of our discovery engine.

We are seeking an Organic/Polymer Chemist to join our Discovery Medicine group. The ideal candidate will be passionate and focused on developing new technologies that challenge the boundaries of current technologies.

The candidate will use a combination of highly efficient organic chemistries and modern RDP polymerization techniques to synthesize high-performance functional polymers to support technology development at Kodiak Sciences.

This person will join a dynamic, collaborative research environment focused on engineering a new drug delivery platform for ophthalmology applications. The ideal candidate should have hands-on experience in modern RPD polymerizations and air-free synthesis techniques. Experience with other chain-/step-growth polymerization methods is a plus. Preference will be given to candidates with experience leading commercial innovation, designed experimentation and statistics such as Six-Sigma methodologies, and exposure to project management tools. The successful candidate is sufficiently versed in synthetic organic chemistry techniques, including the design and synthesis of novel functionalized monomers, and polymeric material characterization when needed.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize polymerization processes for multi-gram scale functional polymer synthesis
• Develop analytical techniques to characterize new polymers and polymeric materials by using SEC-MALS, DLS, NMR, DMA and other relevant techniques
• Design and execute DOEs to establish key polymer structure-property-performance correlations
• Support tech and process transfer of leading polymeric materials to other research functions and/or development and manufacturing teams
• Summarize and report project results regularly with proper documentation, and support intellectual property/patent filings
• Maintain an awareness of technical literature and contacts to define new technical approaches, projects, and areas of interest. Proactively bring in new technology from the external community.
• Collaborate with colleagues across functional disciplines and departments to develop novel performance polymers and polymerization processes
• Stakeholder relationship management and internal customer-centric, deliver impactful results and meeting project timelines, and pro-actively provide strategic inputs to R&D roadmap and future-generation product plans
• Follow the guidelines for laboratory safety, training procedures, and records according to company and industry

Qualifications/Education

• Ph.D. in polymer chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field
• Two or more years of relevant experience in biotech/pharma settings or similar environments or a relevant postdoc experience is preferred
• Hands-on experience in gram-scale polymer synthesis using any of modern RDP methods
• Prior polymer and materials characterization experience in SEC/GPC, NMR, UV-Vis, FT-IR, MALDI-ToF is required; experience in additional thermomechanical property characterizations e.g., DMA, DSC, TGA, and Rheology, and advanced characterization methods including TEM, SEM, SANS, SAXS, is a plus
• Prior experience working with air- and moisture-sensitive substances using glovebox or Schlenk-techniques is highly preferred
• Prior experience with polymer grafting, polymer end-group modification, and/or bioconjugate techniques is highly preferred
• Prior experience with designed experimentation and statistics such as Six-Sigma or similar methodologies is preferred. Exposure to project management tools and DFMEA is a plus.
• Prior experience in synthesizing polymers for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery devices, polymer bioconjugates, polymeric hydrogels, degradable polymers, nonviral gene therapy, etc., is preferred
• Capable of setting goals, planning, leading, and executing R&D projects is a must, as demonstrated by the ability to de-risk projects and manage course corrections
• Safety-conscious and continuously maintaining a safe work environment as a role model lab citizen is a must
• Excellent sense for detailed documentation and capture of key procedures, research results, and inventions in support of IP protection and commercial innovation is a must
• Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills are required for timeline management and delivering successful research outcomes