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Scientist I, Biotherapeutics Expression

AbbVie

North Chicago, ILJob$75K/yrSeen 3 days agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$75K/yr
Location
North Chicago, IL
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

AbbVie’s Biotherapeutics Production group seeks an experienced protein expression scientist to engineer biologics in CHO cell lines and support drug discovery. The role focuses on protein expression and characterization, process development, and incorporating data digitization and automation. The scientist will work with stable CHO cell lines and contribute to high-throughput mammalian cell culture expression workflows.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Cell CultureProtein ProductionCHO Cell LinesProcess DevelopmentProcess OptimizationTargeted IntegrationFACSddPCRVector DesignWave BioreactorsProblem SolvingScientific CommunicationTeamworkScientific Rigor

Qualifications

Bachelor's or Master's in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry or Related FieldBS+5 or MS+2 Years Experience

Benefits

Paid Time Off
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match

Full job description

Company Description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, (https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbvie/) Facebook, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abbvie/) , X (https://twitter.com/abbvie) and YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/user/AbbVie)

Job Description

AbbVie Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine is a global organization responsible for biotherapeutics drug research across disease areas including immunology, oncology, and neuroscience. Our scope includes the discovery of innovative biologic medicines from the early exploratory stage and their support through clinical development. We are growing a world-class team of scientists and leaders who will drive the discovery and advancement of innovative biologic-based therapies. Careers in Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine provide unique opportunities to work with cross-functional teams that drive exceptional science and deliver innovative medicines to patients.

The Biotherapeutics Production group at AbbVie is seeking an experienced protein expression scientist to join a fast paced, high throughput, large scale (1 to 200L) mammalian cell culture expression group. This role will focus on engineering biologics in CHO cell lines, protein expression, and characterization, while incorporating modern capabilities in data digitization and automation. We are looking for candidates with strong scientific and leadership experience to join the team and can offer exciting and rewarding career opportunities for these candidates.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Generation, expression, and screening of stable CHO cell lines expressing novel multispecific biologics with optimized attributes (i.e. titer, monomer, chain-pairing) to support therapeutic area drug discovery projects.

  • Process development and optimization for fed-batch bioreactor and shake flask expressions of stable CHO cell lines.

  • Handling stable CHO pool cell lines including thaw, culture, expression and cryopreservation.

  • Apply targeted integration using FACS-based single-cell sorting for screening.

  • Characterization of copy number and mRNA transcript levels using ddPCR and related molecular tools.

  • Implement and leverage automation platforms and high-throughput workflows to increase efficiency.

  • Contribute to data digitization efforts, including electronic data capture, analysis, and concise reporting.

  • Work independently on the design, execution, and interpretation of experimental results.

Qualifications

  • Bachelors or Master’s in biology, chemistry, biochemistry or related field with typically 5+ (BS) or 2+ (MS) years of experience.

  • Experience with cell culture and protein production (monoclonal antibodies, bispecifics, and multispecifics) in CHO cells lines including thaw, culture, expression, and cryopreservation.

  • Prior experience in process development and process optimization in CHO cells.

  • Experience with targeted integration, FACS, ddPCR, vector design, and Wave bioreactors is desirable.

  • Demonstrated proficiency in overcoming problems (i.e. poor chain pairing, low expression, aggregation, glycosylation) with challenging therapeutic proteins desirable.

  • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts.

  • Collaborative mindset with a passion for teamwork, scientific rigor, and delivering impactful solutions.

  • Strong team player able to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

  • The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.

  • We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

  • This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

Salary: $75,000

How this job compares

Set against the 2,113 open Scientist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 6, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$75K/yr
  • Illinois median$91–121K/yr60 salary ranges
  • US median$105–160K/yr1,081 salary ranges

This rate, $75K, is 27% below the Illinois median midpoint ($102K) — in the lowest quarter of Scientist salary ranges in Illinois.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 69 open Scientist jobs in Illinois and 2,113 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Illinois
Experience
This posting asks for at least 2 years of experience; Scientist postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years at the median (1,545 postings).
Education
1,089 of the 2,113 open Scientist jobs (52%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 6, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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