Senior Scientist I, Engineering
Posted Jul 22, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Walk me through a process that failed to scale and what you learned from it.
What they are checking: Where real process understanding is built, and whether they will describe a failure.
Tell me about a time you took initiative on something nobody asked you to do.
What they are checking: The posting names demonstrating scientific initiative and creativity routinely.
This role is at North Chicago with laboratory and pilot plant work. How does that fit what you want?
What they are checking: The posting names hands-on lab and pilot performance, which not every senior scientist wants.
What would you do
How do you work with chemistry colleagues who want a route you think will not scale?
What they are checking: The commonest disagreement between process engineering and process chemistry.
About the work
Walk me through scaling a process from the laboratory to pilot and what surprised you.
What they are checking: The posting is about developing scalable processes through late-stage development and commercialization.
Which core principles do you actually reach for most: kinetics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics or modeling?
What they are checking: The posting names all four, and an honest answer says what kind of engineer they are.
Tell me about a modality you have worked on: small molecule API, antibody drug conjugate, peptide or natural product.
What they are checking: The posting names these specifically, and they demand different process engineering.
How do you design an experiment so it answers the question with the fewest runs?
What they are checking: The posting names experimental design, and material is expensive at this stage.
How do you build a process that is robust rather than merely reproducible in your hands?
What they are checking: The posting asks for robust processes, which is a higher bar than it sounds.
How do you document a process so manufacturing can run it without you?
What they are checking: Technology transfer, which is where development work either lands or does not.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.