Postdoc Product Development

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson · Pharma · Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium

Postdoctoral Scholar role focused on developing advanced in vitro characterization methods for lipid-based formulations to improve drug delivery of beyond rule of five (bRo5) drug candidates. The role involves building and exploring experimental toolboxes, designing formulation strategies, supporting in vivo translation, and communicating scientific outcomes.

What you'd actually do

  1. Build and explore an advanced in vitro characterization toolbox e.g. coupling dissolution, lipolysis, precipitation/crystallization, mucus penetration, and permeation readouts for lipid‑based formulations.
  2. Explore downscaling/high‑throughput feasibility for e.g. lipolysis and dissolution‑permeation workflows to enable efficient screening and optimization.
  3. Design and optimize next‑level lipid formulation strategies for the oral delivery of bRo5 molecules
  4. Support in vivo translation e.g. contributing to rat PK/lymphatic transport studies and mechanistic experiments
  5. Communicate scientific outcomes through internal presentations and scientific forums and contribute to manuscript preparation and publication strategy consistent with IP guidance.

Skills

Required

  • PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Bioengineering, or a closely related discipline
  • Experimental research design and execution
  • Lipid-based formulations
  • Biopharmaceutics tools
  • English communication skills
  • Scientific output (publications/presentations/patents)
  • On-site work

Nice to have

  • lipolysis/digestion models
  • dissolution-permeation methods
  • membrane permeability models
  • mucus assays
  • precipitation/crystallization analytics
  • phase characterization during digestion/dissolution
  • in-silico tools for formulation design
  • translational modeling
  • in vivo study support

What the JD emphasized

  • PhD (or near completion) in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Bioengineering, or a closely related discipline.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and execute experimental research with scientific independence (literature review, planning, lab execution, data analysis, reporting).
  • Experience relevant to the project focus: lipid‑based formulations and/or biopharmaceutics tools that link formulation behavior (dispersion/dissolution/digestion/precipitation) to delivery potential (permeation).
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and a track record of scientific output (publications/presentations and/or patents).
  • Willingness to work on‑site in Beerse, Belgium with hands‑on lab activities.