Nektar Therapeutics · 2 days ago
Staff Scientist - Upstream
United States
Full-time
Remote
Lead/Staff
$178K/yr - $193K/yr
10+ years expNektar Therapeutics has an exciting opportunity for a Staff Scientist - Upstream on the Process Engineering & Scale Up Biologics team. The role focuses on developing robust fermentation processes and ensuring their transfer into manufacturing environments, while also mentoring junior staff and driving scientific excellence.
BiotechnologyChemicalHealth CareTherapeutics
Responsibilities
Lead development of microbial fermentation processes using hosts such as E. coli, Pichia pastoris, and Bacillus
Design experiments to optimize media, induction strategies, feeding profiles, oxygen transfer, and fermentation modes (batch, fed-batch, continuous)
Characterize and control parameters including kLa, OUR, pH, temperature shifts, and carbon source utilization
Develop and justify scale-up criteria such as P/V, tip speed, and kLa for transfer to pilot or manufacturing bioreactors
Prepare tech-transfer packages, support engineering runs, and provide on-site troubleshooting
Implement Design of Experiments (DOE) to identify critical process parameters and acceptable operating ranges
Conduct root-cause investigations for fermentation performance issues like low titer or contamination
Collaborate with strain engineering groups to evaluate expression systems, plasmid stability, secretion strategies, and induction systems
Develop media and feeding strategies tailored to microbial hosts
Author technical reports and regulatory-supporting documents
Present results and shape project strategy with data-driven insights
Mentor junior scientists and champion fermentation best practices and safety
Qualification
Required
A PhD in a scientific discipline is required
Equivalent experience may be accepted
A minimum of 10 years work experience in a research and/or development environment is required
10 years of industry experience after PhD (or 12+ with MS) in microbial fermentation
Expertise with hosts such as E. coli, Pichia, and Bacillus
Deep understanding of oxygen transfer, mass/heat transfer, metabolic control, and scale-up principles
Experience with bioreactor systems (1–200+ L) and analytical/control software like JMP or Design-Expert
Benefits
Health Insurance (Medical/Dental/Vis ion)
Disability Insurance
Holiday Pay
Paid Time Off (PTO)
401(k) Match
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Wellness Programs
Parental Leave Benefits (in accordance with the terms of applicable plans)
Company
Nektar Therapeutics
Nektar Therapeutics develops therapeutics based on its advanced polymer conjugate chemistry technology platform.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Nektar Therapeutics has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
2024 (1)
2023 (3)
2022 (14)
2021 (15)
2020 (13)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1.31BKey Investors
SFJ PharmaceuticalsAstraZenecaDeerfield
2025-07-01Post Ipo Equity· $115M
2024-11-04Acquired
2024-03-04Post Ipo Equity· $30M
Leadership Team
Jillian B. Thomsen
SVP and Chief Financial Officer
Jonathan Zalevsky
Chief Research & Development Officer
Recent News
New Enterprise Associates
2026-01-13
MarketScreener
2026-01-03
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