Career Category

Job Description

Amgen’s Digital Integration and Predictive Technologies organization is a global process development function that develops and deploys state of the art advanced computational technologies in:

1) data capture, integration and management

2) first principles modeling and machine learning towards improved process understanding and robustness

3) monitoring, prediction and optimization of manufacturing.

We are seeking a computational biologist to develop, apply and deploy rigorous mathematical models of biological systems and manufacturing process technologies with the goal to increase the efficiency of drug development and manufacturing processes. The candidate will apply metabolic, biochemical, and bioprocess modeling to create and refine first principles and mechanistic models addressing the fundamental problems of predicting and optimizing performance of mammalian cell culture in bioreactors, from preclinical to commercial phase. Responsibilities will include formulating the equations describing metabolic and phenotypic phenomena of interest, examining modeling simplifications and assumptions, implementing models in commercial and proprietary software and deploying these models to internal users via an enterprise modeling infrastructure. The computational biologist will collaborate heavily with internal stakeholders, as well as document and communicate the underlying technical basis of the models for the benefit of and use by engineers and scientists responsible for advancing processes to operation. Experience in mathematical and computational (in-silico) modeling of biological systems is required, and experience in systems biology, bioinformatics, or process development is highly desired.

This position will be focused on development and application of a predictive mechanistic model of cell culture performance in a bioreactor. Such a model has transformative potential in the biotechnology industry, enabling in-silico equipment and process design, cell line selection, process optimization, and model-predictive control. The model accounts for time evolution and heterogeneity in the bioreactor environment and cell population, bidirectional coupling of signals from environment to cells and vice versa, and the effect of cell growth phase on both intra- and extracellular phenomena. Existing mechanistic and empirical models variously account for some of these, but none accounts for them all. This position provides ample opportunity for professional development and growth due to its transformative potential, high visibility to management and cross-functional subject matter experts, and multidisciplinary academic and technical skill development.

The computational biologist will be responsible for:

• Advancing the science of multiscale bioreactor and cell culture modeling
• Collaborating with academic leaders in cell metabolism and bioprocess modeling
• Defining cell culture experiments in a bioprocess lab
• Implementing model features in Python and commercial software
• Applying the model to immediately relevant problems in bioprocess development

Basic Qualifications:

Doctorate degree

OR

Master’s degree & 3 years of experience directly related to the job

OR

Bachelor's Degree & 5 years of experience directly related to the job

OR

Associates Degree & 10 years of experience directly related to the job

OR

High School Diploma & 12 years of experience directly related to the job

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. and three years of experience in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering or related field.
• Exceptional command of fundamentals and first principles, including mammalian cell metabolism, complex kinetic systems, transport phenomena.
• Modeling of biochemical systems and cell metabolism
• Experience analyzing multi-omics datasets and deriving mechanistic insight into systems biology
• Modeling of biophysical systems such as bioreactors, mixing vessels, and downstream equipment.
• Numerical techniques for model calibration and uncertainty quantification
• Understanding of biopharmaceutical processes and unit operations.
• Intermediate or advanced programming skills in Python
• Ability to independently uncover and resolve issues associated with the development and implementation of scientific and engineering projects.