Senior Scientist, Bioconjugation & Targeted Nanomedicine

At Bristol Myers Squibb, our employees often ask, “Who are you working for?”—a question that fuels collaboration, accountability, and urgency in our work. Our purpose-driven culture inspires us to discover, develop, and deliver innovative medicines to prevail over serious diseases. We offer uniquely interesting and meaningful work, opportunities for growth, and a supportive environment that values inclusion, wellbeing, flexibility, and comprehensive benefits. This is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it.

The Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center is one of BMS’s differentiated research platforms delivering innovative therapies to patients. Our mission is to drive leadership in the use of cellular therapies to harness the power of the immune system in treating hematologic malignancies, solid cancers, and autoimmune disease. More specifically, our discovery and translational scientists are focused on developing next-generation, engineered cell-based therapies. The team is committed to discovering and developing transformative therapies that harness the power of the immune system to improve patient outcomes.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative Senior Scientist to join BMS’s Non-Viral Delivery team and advance next-generation targeted nanomedicine, engineering the molecular interfaces that make selective, cell type-specific delivery possible. Embedded within a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary team, you will drive the design, development, and optimization of bioconjugation strategies and targeting ligand architectures that expand what targeted nanoparticles can achieve, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities across challenging cell types and tissues. Working at the interface of chemistry, chemical biology, and nanomedicine, you will help establish the molecular and chemical foundations that translate conjugate design into functional, next-generation delivery systems. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in bioconjugation chemistry, a creative and rigorous approach to molecular design and problem-solving, and a collaborative mindset for advancing complex delivery technologies.

Position Responsibilities

In the role as a Senior Scientist, Bioconjugation & Targeted Nanomedicine within the Non-Viral Delivery Research team, the ideal candidate:

• Design and develop bioconjugation strategies for targeted nanoparticles across a variety of targeting ligand formats, including antibodies, fragments, and peptides, and nanoparticle surface components.
• Develop and optimize conjugation chemistries and linker strategies across ligand formats to achieve controlled, well-defined conjugates.
• Contribute to targeting ligand engineering, including format selection, conjugation site design, and sequence-level modifications that enable controlled conjugation and functional ligand presentation.
• Develop and apply analytical workflows to characterize bioconjugates to support lead selection and targeted nanoparticle evaluation.
• Develop strategies for integrating targeting ligands into nanoparticle systems and characterize how conjugate design and ligand presentation influence nanoparticle properties and functional delivery.
• Collaborate cross-functionally across protein engineering, formulation and delivery sciences, analytical sciences, immunology, and in vivo pharmacology to translate molecular design into improved targeted nanoparticle architectures and delivery performance.
• Effectively communicate scientific findings and actionable recommendations to multidisciplinary teams and leadership to influence delivery strategy and program decisions.
• Provide scientific mentorship to junior scientists, and contribute to a collaborative, growth-oriented team culture.

Experience =

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
  • 7+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Master’s Degree
  • 5+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences
  • 2+ of academic and / or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Organic Chemistry, Bioengineering, Protein Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related discipline with 2+ years of relevant industry experience; or MS with 5+ years; or BS with 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong hands-on expertise in bioconjugation, linker chemistry, and analytical characterization.
• Demonstrated experience with bioconjugation across a variety of biomolecular formats, including proteins, antibodies, antibody fragments, and peptides.
• Experience with nanoparticle-based or other complex delivery systems, is desirable.
• Experience with therapeutic conjugate platforms and linker design across modalities, including ADCs, peptide conjugates, or oligonucleotide conjugates, is desirable.
• Hands-on experience with analytical and purification methods for bioconjugate characterization, including LC-MS, HPLC/UPLC, SEC, IEX, HIC, SDS-PAGE, UV/Vis, and AKTA-based chromatography.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and thrive in a highly collaborative, cross-functional research environment.
• Strong scientific communication skills, with the ability to present complex data and mechanistic insights clearly and compellingly to varied audiences including project teams and senior leadership.

#LI-Onsite

We hire for skills and capabilities, not just credentials – if this role excites you, but doesn’t perfectly match your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The starting pay range(s) listed above is for full-time employees (FTE). You may also be eligible for additional discretionary incentive cash and stock opportunities. We determine starting pay thoughtfully – carefully considering the nature of the role, required skills, work location, schedule and the knowledge and experience you bring. Final compensation is guided by pay equity principles and applicable employment laws. Compensation programs are reviewed on an ongoing basis and may be adjusted over time to reflect evolving market factors, and individual, team or Company performance.

Benefits:

Subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans then in effect, you may be eligible to participate in our comprehensive benefit plans – including wellbeing support, retirement and financial protection benefits, and insurance offerings (medical, dental, vision, life and disability).

U.S.-based exempt employees are eligible for Flexible Time Off (FTO), which provides paid time off without a set accrual limit, subject to manager approval, along with 11 paid company holidays each year.

Non-exempt employees, RayzeBio employees, and employees located in Puerto Rico receive 160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires (subject to manager approval), 11 paid company holidays, and 3 optional holidays.

Depending on eligibility, employees may also have access to additional time-off benefits, including paid sick leave, up to two paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, and leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs. Eligible employees also enjoy an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

U.S.-based job seekers can explore full benefit offerings at https://careers.bms.com/benefits

How We Work

Where you work matters – because collaboration, innovation and patient impact happen in many settings. Our roles are structured across four work models: site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design. The model assigned to this role is based on its core responsibilities. Learn more at https://careers.bms.com/ways-of-working.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

For roles based in Los Angeles County only:  If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.

If this posting is missing required information required by local law or incorrect, contact BMS at [email protected]with the Job Title and Requisition number. Do not send application-related inquiries to this email. To check your application status, please login to your Candidate Home Account.