Join the team

This position is within the Vaccine and Biotherapeutics Development Programme (VaxBioD).

Responsibilities:

• Develop the regulatory strategy and roadmap for each priority vaccine candidate.
• Ensure platform, protocols, processes, materials, assays, and related documentation are developed with regulatory pathways in mind.
• Lead engagement with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and relevant reference regulatory authorities.
• Maintain regulatory documentation and submission readiness.
• Develop and implement Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Management Systems (QMS) aligned with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
• Establish documentation and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) control processes.
• Prepare the organisation for audit readiness ahead of clinical and manufacturing progression.
• Partner with Research and Bioprocessing teams to embed quality from the start.

Requirements:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, or Quality Management. A Master’s or PhD degree is highly preferred.
• At least 5 years’ experience in regulatory affairs, QA, or project coordination in a regulated pharma/biotech/vaccine environment.
• Strong understanding of regulatory submission processes and documentation standards.
• Familiarity with GLP/GMP frameworks and audit processes; NPRA/FDA/EMA experience an advantage.
• Strong stakeholder management, leadership, and organisational skills.

The position is under the Vaccine and Biotherapeutics Development Programme (VaxBioD)

Responsibilities:

Vaccinology & Virology

• Design and/or conduct basic virology and vaccinology research for priority disease programmes, including vaccine platform and candidate development, and design vaccine and/or biotherapeutics immunogenicity and efficacy studies.
• Develop, troubleshoot, and optimise virological and immunological assays, including neutralisation assays.
• Design and/or execute experimental protocols, sample sizes, and study timelines in consultation with the Principal Investigator.
• Analyse experimental data and prepare study reports, manuscripts, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

Molecular Biology/Biochemistry

• Perform molecular cloning, plasmid preparation, and protein/vector construct development.
• Support platform development across protein subunit, viral vector, and messenger RNA approaches.
• Develop, troubleshoot, and optimise analytical assays for infectious disease research, vaccine and biologics characterisation, and quality control.
• Express and purify proteins using platforms such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells.
• Design and/or execute experimental plans in consultation with the Principal Investigator.
• Analyse experimental data and prepare study reports, manuscripts, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

Bioprocessing / Biomanufacturing

• Design and/or conduct upstream and downstream process development for vaccine and biotherapeutics manufacturing.
• Express and purify proteins using platforms such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells at different scales.
• Design and/or execute workflows with GMP compliance and scale-up in mind.
• Contribute to laboratory and equipment commissioning ahead of facility launch.
• Design and/or execute experimental plans and study timelines in consultation with the Principal Investigator.
• Analyse experimental data and prepare study reports, manuscripts, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements:

Research Officer/Assistant Research Officer

• Minimum Master’s degree (MSc or equivalent) in Vaccinology, Virology, Immunology, Molecular Biology/Biochemistry, Bioprocess/Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or related field. A PhD degree is highly preferred.
• Relevant hands-on research experience in the applied track.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Research Assistant

• Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, or related field.
• Laboratory experience (internship or professional) preferred.
• Familiarity with standard laboratory techniques and biosafety protocols.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and curate the central SIDC databank and data catalogue, ensuring secure integration of multi-source datasets.
• Support data harmonisation, cleaning and standardisation across field surveillance, laboratory, public health, research and external datasets.
• Develop and support standardised, real-time data collection systems and digital forms for research, field and laboratory workflows.
• Establish and monitor data management policies, stewardship guidelines, SOPs and role-based access controls (RBAC).
• Ensure data integrity, version control, disaster recovery and compliance with the Sarawak Data Governance Framework and relevant data protection legislation.
• Evaluate and implement best practices for data storage, metadata management, long-term archival and secure data sharing through APIs.
• Support research programmes through data wrangling, pipeline automation, statistical pre-processing, dashboard development and data quality assurance.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Bioinformatics, Health Informatics, Statistics, Computer Science, or Biomedical Research.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in managing, organising, and cleaning complex datasets.
• Proficiency in statistical programming with R or Python.
• Competence in spreadsheet manipulation and Electronic Data Capture (EDC) tools (e.g., REDCap, ODK, KoboToolbox, or equivalent).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Desirable Criteria:

• Practical research background in infectious diseases, molecular epidemiology, genomic sequencing, or metabolomics.
• Experience establishing fieldwork data pipelines and real-time mobile data collection in clinical or rural community settings.
• Working knowledge of database querying and management using SQL.
• Familiarity with FAIR data principles, API integration, data encryption standards, and institutional data governance frameworks.
• Working proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Sarawak, or local indigenous dialects.
• High organisational aptitude, analytical rigour, and attention to detail.
• Willingness to work autonomously and collaboratively in high-throughput, cross-functional research environments.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, implementation and evaluation of epidemiological studies and infectious disease surveillance programmes aligned with SIDC strategic priorities and Sarawak’s disease landscape.
• Support the development and review of short- and long-term surveillance strategies and coordinate collaborative research with academic institutions, government agencies and funding partners.
• Conduct advanced statistical, spatial and mathematical modelling to assess disease burden, transmission dynamics and outbreak trends, incorporating qualitative and mixed-method approaches where relevant.
• Evaluate surveillance methodologies and produce evidence summaries to support research, public health planning and policy decisions.
• Monitor emerging zoonotic and vector-borne One-Health threats and collaborate with laboratory scientists to strengthen diagnostic capabilities.
• Coordinate with key stakeholders, including SDMC, JKNS and DVSS, and support rapid response activities such as field investigations, contact tracing, resource mobilisation and outbreak containment.

Requirements:

• Master’s or PhD degree in Epidemiology, Public Health, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Veterinary Public Health, or a related discipline.
• Practical grounding in epidemiological study design, data collection, and quantitative data analysis.
• Proficiency in statistical software packages (e.g., R, Stata, Python).
• Solid understanding of disease notification systems and One-Health surveillance concepts.
• Strong communication skills in English.
• Flexibility and readiness to participate in field-based deployments and emergency outbreak investigations.

Desirable Criteria:

• Demonstrated capability in spatial GIS analysis (QGIS/ArcGIS) and mathematical modelling of transmission dynamics.
• Competence in qualitative and mixed-methods research (e.g., focus groups, behavioural surveys, thematic analysis).
• Prior experience liaising with statutory health and veterinary bodies.
• Conversational fluency in Bahasa Sarawak or local indigenous dialects.
• Capable of working collaboratively across multi-sectoral stakeholders in high-pressure outbreak situations.