Junior Scientist, Upstream Process Development (f/m/d)

Location: Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?

At Cytiva, one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

Working at Cytiva means being at the forefront of providing new solutions to transform human health. Our incredible customers undertake life-saving activities ranging from fundamental biological research to developing innovative vaccines, new medicines, and cell and gene therapies.

At Cytiva you will be able to continuously improve yourself and us – working on challenges that truly matter with people that care for each other, our customers, and their patients. Take your next step to an altogether life-changing career.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

The Junior Scientist, Upstream Process Development, Viral Vectors supports the development and optimization of upstream manufacturing processes for viral vector production platforms.

This position is part of the Cell Line Development organisation located in Cologne, Germany and will be an on-site role.

What you will do

Execute upstream process development experiments for viral vector production platforms, including AAV and lentiviral vectors.

Support process optimization activities using high-throughput screening platforms, microbioreactor systems, and bench-scale bioreactors.

Perform mammalian cell culture and transient transfection experiments following established procedures and study plans.

Collect, analyze, document, and communicate experimental data and observations.

Assist with process characterization, scale-up studies, and technology transfer activities.

Contribute to technical reports, presentations, and project documentation.

Support continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of standardized laboratory workflows and best practices.

Who you are

Master's degree in Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline; with 3+ years industry experience.

Hands-on laboratory experience with mammalian cell culture techniques.

Familiarity with bioreactor operation, microbioreactor systems, or high-throughput screening technologies is desirable.

Experience with scientific data analysis and experimental documentation.

Strong communication, organizational, and teamwork skills.

Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative development environment.

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

Fed-batch or perfusion cultivation of mammalian cells.

Viral vector downstream purification technologies and molecular analytical methods, including qPCR, ddPCR, ELISA, and other product characterization assays.

Design of Experiments (DoE) and statistical data analysis techniques.

Cytiva, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job.

Check out our benefits at Danaher Benefits Info.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.