Postdoctoral Scientist Biopharmaceutics – (PBPK modeling of Amorphous Solid Dispersions)
Location: Beerse, Belgium
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 Med Tech, 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/.
The J&J IM Discovery, Product Development, & Supply (DPDS) organization helps early career scientists gain the training and experience needed to further develop their careers while addressing the needs of global healthcare. Postdocs work side-by-side with DPDS scientists on innovative research projects. They learn the functional role of scientists in the pharmaceutical industry and receive valuable career advice from mentors while building a network of professional contacts and developing the skills needed to advance their careers.
We are seeking a talented Postdoctoral scientist to join our Pharmaceutical and Material Sciences (PMS) team, which is part of the global Pharmaceutical Product Development & Supply (PPDS) organization within J&J IM R&D to be based in Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium. The PMS team is responsible for pre-formulation and biopharmaceutics, solid state form selection and understanding, and material selection and qualification to provide end-to-end support to the J&J IM synthetic modality portfolio.
The main objective of this 18-months Postdoc project is to develop novel PBPK capabilities that integrate the key insights gained from in vitro and preclinical experiments within the currently available PBPK frameworks to allow better predictions of the plasma concentration time profile of drugs formulated as amorphous solid dispersions. The project is partially funded by Flanders innovation & entrepreneurship (VLAIO).
Efforts in this project will mainly focus on mathematical modeling of key in vitro biopharmaceutics experiments such as drug solubility, dissolution, and others to confirm/estimate key input parameters such as amorphous solubility (aqueous and in presence of bile micelles), ionization constants, solubility factors, precipitation rate etc. prior to using them within PBPK Models. Novel PBPK methodologies will be developed that leverage our improved understanding of ASD release mechanisms (congruent or incongruent) and the formation of drug-rich nanodroplets (liquid-liquid phase separation) and their particle size distribution towards intestinal drug permeation.
As a Postdoctoral scientist, you will operate under limited supervision with a high level of autonomy to transform drug delivery challenges into innovative ideas and practical solutions consistent with project objectives. On the job training will be provided by qualified staff. Additionally, you might be authoring scientific publications and present data to the scientific community internally and externally. This position may require limited lab work and will be mainly focused on PBPK modeling, while offering ample scientific leadership and personal growth opportunities through training, mentoring and R&D-wide connectivity.
Position Responsibilities
Interpretation of in vitro biopharmaceutical data on amorphous solid dispersions, including solubility, biorelevant dissolution, permeability, solid state characteristics, dynamic light scattering, and others.
Literature Review
Incorporation of in vitro data into existing PBBM/PBPK software and development of novel PBBM/PBPK methodologies.
Authorship and publication of scientific reports
Development, training, conferences, internal meetings & symposia

Qualifications

A Ph D degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical engineering, Pharmaceutical Technology, Analytical Sciences, or closely related field with relevant experience in biopharmaceutics.
Demonstrated competency and experience in biopharmaceutics, formulation development and/or characterization. Experience in PBPK modeling is highly preferred.
Experience with biopharmaceutical in vitro techniques (e.g. solubility, dissolution, precipitation, solid state characterization, permeability…).
Experience in coding, e.g. R, Python, Matlab, …
Proven ability to transform drug delivery challenges into innovative ideas and practical solutions.
To make your ideas practical, you must possess a good amount of innovation and creativity and be able to think and act unconventionally.
Organizational, planning, problem-solving and scientific/technical leadership skills needed in the completion of the postdoc project deliverables.
Track record of scientific contributions, including peer reviewed publications and presentations, and/or patents.
Excellent oral and written communication skills and efficient information exchange in English.
On-site presence (Beerse, Antwerp area, Belgium).
For more than 130 years, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) has been a part of our cultural fabric at Johnson & Johnson and woven into how we do business every day. Rooted in Our Credo, the values of DEI fuel our pursuit to create a healthier, more equitable world. Our diverse workforce and culture of belonging accelerate innovation to solve the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
We know that the success of our business – and our ability to deliver meaningful solutions – depends on how well we understand and meet the diverse needs of the communities we serve. Which is why we foster a culture of inclusion and belonging where all perspectives, abilities and experiences are valued and our people can reach their potential.
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