Senior Scientist, Automated Synthesis & High Through-Put Chemistry

Incyte · Wilmington

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A global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to Solve On, Incyte follows science to find solutions for patients with unmet medical needs. Through the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics, Incyte has established a portfolio of first-in-class medicines for patients and a strong pipeline of products in Hematology, Oncology and Inflammation and Autoimmunity

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Incyte has operations in North America, Europe, and Asia.
 

Job Summary (Primary function)

Discovery Accelerator Laboratories at Incyte is seeking an experienced parallel synthesis chemist to lead automated chemistry operations and the synthesis of parallel compound libraries. As a member of the Discovery Chemistry organization, this role will focus on developing and implementing automated synthesis workflows, high-throughput experimentation and reaction optimization strategies to accelerate drug discovery programs.

The successful candidate will bring a strong background in synthetic organic chemistry, parallel library synthesis, laboratory automation, and robotics, with demonstrated expertise in programming and operating Chemspeed platforms. This individual will work closely with medicinal chemists, computational and AI scientists, analytical chemists and informatics teams to enable efficient, scalable, and data-rich chemistry workflows.

Essential Functions of the Job  (Key responsibilities)

• Collaborate with Medicinal Chemistry project leaders, computational chemists, and AI scientists to identify, prioritize, and design high-value chemical libraries that address project hypotheses and expand structure–activity relationships (SAR).
• Program, configure, operate, and maintain automated synthesis workstations, including Chemspeed FLEX/ISYNTH and SWILE platforms using AutoSuite, for parallel reaction setup, liquid and solid dispensing, reaction execution, and automated workup.
• Design and execute targeted parallel synthesis campaigns spanning multi-gram intermediates to milligram final compounds to support SAR development across discovery programs.
• Develop and optimize microscale high-throughput experimentation workflows for reaction screening, catalyst and reagent evaluation, and reaction-condition optimization.
• Translate conventional synthetic procedures into robust, reproducible, and scalable automated workflows suitable for parallel execution.
• Calibrate, maintain, and troubleshoot automated hardware components, including gravimetric powder-dosing systems, liquid-handling modules, viscous-liquid dispensers, temperature-control systems, and parallel reactors.
• Develop and optimize automated downstream processing workflows, including liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), solid-phase extraction (SPE), filtration, solvent exchange, and parallel evaporation.
• Capture, structure, and integrate experimental and workflow execution data within Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN), LIMS, and internal data systems in collaboration with informatics and computational teams.
• Partner with Analytical Chemistry and Purification groups to establish integrated workflows for LC-MS/SFC analysis, purification, sample management, and plate-based compound dispatch.
• Evaluate and implement emerging automation technologies, synthetic methodologies, and workflow improvements that increase throughput, reproducibility, data quality, and operational efficiency.
• Provide technical leadership and training to scientists using automated synthesis and HTE platforms and contribute to laboratory best practices, documentation, and operational standards.

Qualifications (Minimal acceptable level of education, work experience, and competency)

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or a related discipline with 5+ years of relevant industry experience, or
• M.S. with 15+ years of relevant industry experience, including significant experience in automated or parallel synthesis.
• Technical Expertise
• Extensive hands-on experience in multi-step organic synthesis, reaction screening and library synthesis.
• Demonstrated expertise in programming and operating Chemspeed AutoSuite for automated synthesis and parallel chemistry workflows.
• Strong understanding of synthetic route design, reaction mechanisms, reaction optimization, and troubleshooting, particularly in the context of parallel and microscale synthesis.
• Broad expertise in modern synthetic methodologies, including areas such as cross-coupling chemistry, amide bond formation, photo-redox catalysis and C–H functionalization.
• Experience designing and executing high-throughput reaction screens and translating optimized conditions into preparative synthesis.
• Experience with automated and semi-automated purification platforms, including systems such as Biotage, Teledyne ISCO, preparative HPLC, and SFC.
• Experience interpreting LC-MS, UPLC/HPLC, and other plate-based analytical data used to assess reaction performance and compound quality.
• Strong understanding of automated liquid and solid handling, reaction miniaturization, and experimental reproducibility.
• Familiarity with additional laboratory automation platforms, such as Tecan EVO or related liquid-handling systems, is preferred.
• Experience integrating automation workflows with ELN, LIMS, cheminformatics, or laboratory data systems is a plus.
• Preferred Attributes
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to diagnose complex synthetic, mechanical, and automation-related issues.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary drug discovery environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to translate scientific requirements into practical automated workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple parallel chemistry campaigns and prioritize activities across discovery programs.
• A continuous-improvement mindset and interest in applying automation, digital technologies, and data-driven approaches to accelerate medicinal chemistry.

Disclaimer:  The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.  Management reserves the right to change or modify such duties as required.

Incyte Corporation is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

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