Senior Principal Scientist

Role details

Overview:

Waters Corporation is seeking an accomplished scientific leader to drive next-generation materials innovation for advanced bioseparations. As a Senior Principal Scientist within the BioSeparations Portfolio of the Chemistry & Lab Automation Business Unit, you will define and lead the scientific strategy for novel chromatographic materials and enabling chemistries for biologics ranging from oligonucleotides, viral vectors, and mRNA to proteins, peptides, and gene-editing therapeutics.

This is a highly visible technical leadership role intended for a deeply innovative scientist with exceptional expertise in particle synthesis, surface chemistry, biomolecular concepts, and advanced materials manufacturing. The successful candidate will serve as a scientific authority across the organization, shaping long-term technology roadmaps, driving intellectual property generation, and translating breakthrough materials science into commercially impactful analytical solutions.

You will collaborate across research, engineering, manufacturing, applications, marketing, and external scientific partners to create transformative separation technologies that define the future of biopharmaceutical analysis and lab scale purification. In addition to leading innovation in material design, you will help advance next-generation manufacturing strategies for Waters particle and bonded-phase production, including scalable and data-rich manufacturing approaches, advanced process characterization, and in-process analytical testing methodologies.

Responsibilities:

Scientific Leadership & Innovation

• Define and drive long-range scientific strategy for advanced chromatographic particle technologies supporting next-generation separations of biomolecules.
• Conceive, invent, and develop novel polymeric and hybrid silica/polymer materials platforms for high-performance separations.
• Serve as a recognized technical authority in particle synthesis, surface functionalization, and biomolecular interaction engineering.
• Lead development of enabling materials technologies spanning silica, polymeric, hybrid, and ligand-coupled systems, as needed.
• Drive scientific innovation from early concept through scalable product commercialization.

Technology Development

• Develop advanced synthetic methodologies including sol-gel, colloidal, emulsion, controlled polymerization, and hybrid materials approaches.
• Design highly reproducible and scalable manufacturing processes with strong yield, robustness, and quality characteristics.
• Advance state-of-the-art surface chemistries for selective characterization, quantification, and purification of proteins, nucleic acids, viral vectors, and emerging therapeutic modalities.
• Integrate materials science, separation science, and biomolecular understanding to solve complex analytical challenges.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Influence

• Partner closely with chromatography scientists, biochemists, engineers, manufacturing teams, and business leadership to align innovation with portfolio strategy and customer needs.
• Influence portfolio direction through scientific insight, competitive awareness, and emerging technology assessment.
• Identify, develop, and protect intellectual property opportunities; contribute substantially to Waters’ innovation pipeline and patent portfolio.
• Represent Waters externally through scientific publications, conference presentations, collaborations, and strategic partnerships.

Organizational Impact

• Mentor and provide technical leadership to scientists across multiple disciplines and levels.
• Foster a culture of scientific excellence, creativity, rigor, and collaboration.
• Lead complex, high-impact technical initiatives with significant business and scientific visibility.
• Drive data-based decision making through rigorous interpretation and communication of complex experimental results.

Operational Excellence

• Maintain rigorous laboratory documentation, ensure compliance with environmental, health, safety, and quality standards.

Qualifications:

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline with 10+ years of industrial R&D experience developing advanced materials technologies; additional postdoctoral and leadership experience preferred.
• Deep expertise in organic and/or inorganic surface chemistry and particle functionalization.
• Demonstrated mastery of particle synthesis methodologies including sol-gel, colloidal, emulsion, hybrid, and/or controlled polymerization approaches.
• Strong understanding of chromatographic separation mechanisms and biomolecular interactions.
• Extensive experience with particle and surface characterization techniques.
• Proven record of scientific innovation demonstrated through patents, publications, platform technologies, and/or commercialized products.
• Demonstrated ability to lead highly complex technical programs with enterprise-level impact.
• Strong external scientific presence and ability to influence the broader scientific community.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and scientific storytelling skills.
• Proven ability to work across organizational boundaries and influence without direct authority.

Company Description:

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance.

Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

*Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.*

Key Words: Materials Science, Particle Synthesis, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry