Senior Radiochemist, R&D Technical Development (Pb212 isotope)

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Generator & Pb-212 Process Development

• Plan and execute radiochemistry development activities supporting AdvanCell's Pb-212 generator and radionuclide production technologies.
• Develop, characterize, and optimize processes associated with generator operation, Pb-212 collection, recovery, purification, concentration, formulation, and transfer.
• Investigate the impact of key process variables including source activity, collection time, eluent composition, flow rate, rinse conditions, process volumes, hold times, transfer conditions, and purification parameters.
• Design and execute structured development, optimization, and characterization studies to improve process performance, robustness, reproducibility, and scalability.
• Identify sources of process variability, yield loss, contamination, or performance degradation and develop practical, scientifically justified solutions.
• Troubleshoot generator, purification, and Pb-212 production issues and provide technically supported recommendations.
• Evaluate new reagents, materials, equipment, consumables, and technologies relevant to generator and Pb-212 process development.

Pb-212 Purification & Characterization

• Develop and optimize purification processes for Pb-212 generated from AdvanCell's radionuclide generator systems.
• Characterize Pb-212 product quality throughout development, including radionuclidic purity, radiochemical behaviour, recovery, process yield, chemical purity, and other relevant quality attributes.
• Investigate the impact of generator and purification conditions on Pb-212 quality and downstream suitability.
• Develop process understanding around radionuclide breakthrough, impurities, adsorption, transfer losses, decay-related effects, and other factors affecting Pb-212 recovery and quality.
• Support development of fit-for-purpose analytical and characterization approaches in collaboration with Analytical Development and QC.
• Generate experimental evidence and scientific rationale to support specification development, process controls, and future manufacturing implementation.

Generator Development & Scale-Up

• Support development and optimization of generator operating processes from laboratory-scale development through clinically and commercially relevant configurations.
• Execute studies assessing generator performance including emanation, collection efficiency, purification recovery, reproducibility, operating cycle, and output consistency.
• Support characterization of generator performance across different source activities, configurations, operating conditions, and scales.
• Contribute to the identification and characterization of critical and important process parameters and appropriate operating ranges.
• Support development of robust and scalable generator and Pb-212 production processes suitable for subsequent transfer to MSAT and Manufacturing.
• Generate the experimental data and process understanding required to support generator design and process-development decisions.

Technical Transfer & Development Readiness

• Prepare clear experimental records, development reports, protocols, and technical summaries.
• Capture process knowledge, development history, and scientific rationale to enable effective knowledge transfer.
• Support technology-transfer and scale-up activities with MSAT and Manufacturing.
• Provide technical support during early implementation and troubleshooting of transferred processes.
• Work with the Director to identify technical gaps requiring further development before transfer.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with FDP development colleagues to define testing requirements and interpret analytical results supporting overall drug product development.
• Collaborate with Preclinical, Drug Discovery, CMC, MSAT, Manufacturing, Quality, and external partners as required.
• Provide radiochemistry expertise during technical discussions and development planning.
• Support externally performed radiochemistry or FDP-development activities where required.

Team Support

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and scientific support to junior scientists and radiochemists.
• Support planning and prioritization of experimental activities within the team.
• Promote safe working practices, good scientific documentation, and high-quality experimental execution.
• Contribute to a collaborative, scientifically rigorous, and practical R&D environment.

Essential Skills, Qualifications, Industry and Educational Requirements

• Degree in Radiochemistry, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, or a related discipline; PhD or equivalent advanced experience preferred.
• 3+ years of relevant radiochemistry or radiopharmaceutical-development experience, with demonstrated ability to work independently in the laboratory.
• Strong hands-on experience with radiolabelling and radiopharmaceutical process development.
• Experience with therapeutic radionuclides and short-lived radiopharmaceuticals strongly preferred; experience with Pb-212 or other alpha-emitting radionuclides is highly desirable.
• Experience with formulation, process optimization, troubleshooting, and experimental design.
• Experience supporting preclinical radiopharmaceutical studies is desirable.
• Good understanding of radiopharmaceutical analytical techniques sufficient to interpret and apply analytical data during process development.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical development, GMP, and CMC principles appropriate to a development-stage role.
• Strong experimental, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams while maintaining ownership of hands-on technical activities.