Scientist/Senior Scientist - Protein Engineering and Discovery Biology

Company Background

Opportunity

We are in the discovery stage and will invest heavily in our emerging platform for oligonucleotide delivery. Our disease focus offers strong translatability from animal models to humans, which provides a potentially rapid and efficient path to the clinic. Given our recent funding and commitment to building a first-in-class platform, we are recruiting is seeking a Senior Scientist to join our Protein Engineering and Discovery Biology group. This individual will design and execute in vitro assays to characterize antibody candidates across the discovery and engineering pipeline by generating the binding, functional, and biophysical data that drive lead selection and optimization. The ideal candidate combines deep knowledge of antibody structure and function with hands-on expertise in cell-based assay development, cell culture, and protein analytics, and is comfortable working at the interface of protein engineering and cell biology.

Responsibilities for the Senior Scientist include:

• Design, execute, and interpret binding assays (ELISA, surface plasmon resonance/SPR, bio-layer interferometry/BLI, flow cytometry) to characterize antibody affinity, kinetics, and specificity against target antigens.
• Develop and run cell-based internalization assays to assess antibody trafficking and receptor-mediated uptake.
• Design and execute cell-based functional assays to assess receptor agonism or antagonism including dose-response and mechanism-of-action studies.
• Maintain and expand mammalian cell culture capabilities including generation and maintenance of engineered cell lines used in assay development.
• Perform cell line characterization, including receptor/target expression profiling and phenotypic analysis to support assay design and data interpretation.
• Develop and execute cell signaling assays (e.g., reporter gene assays, phospho-flow cytometry, Western blot, or other signaling readouts) to evaluate antibody pharmacology.
• Conduct protein analytics (e.g., SEC-HPLC, SDS-PAGE, concentration and purity determination) to support antibody characterization and quality assessment.
• Apply working knowledge of antibody structure-function relationships to inform engineering strategies and assay design.
• Perform and interpret antibody biophysical characterization studies (e.g., thermal stability, aggregation propensity, binding kinetics) to support developability assessment.
• Analyze, interpret, and present data clearly to cross-functional project teams; maintain accurate and complete experimental records.
• Collaborate closely with protein engineering, discovery biology, and analytical teams to advance candidates through the discovery pipeline.
• Contribute to the design of assay strategies for new programs and help troubleshoot and optimize existing assay platforms.
• Bring in new methods, technologies, and vendors where existing approaches fall short, and operationalize methods once established: robust, documented, transferable assays with defined controls, acceptance criteria, and performance tracking
• Help build the lab (procurement, installation, equipment qualification), train future team members, and build and maintain the templates and records the organization runs on (data management, inventory, SOPs, assay protocols, and electronic lab notebook)

The Individual

The Senior Scientist is a self-starter who generates high-quality, reproducible, and well-documented data. It is a technically advanced role requiring independence in execution paired with eagerness to grow the scientific and strategic judgment that turns good data into good decisions. The work is deeply collaborative, so we want someone collegial, adaptable as priorities shift and glad to take as much satisfaction in the team’s success as their own. Moreover, it is important that the individual be comfortable in a start-up environment in a role that requires flexibility and comfort with the hands-on, all-in culture that start-ups require.

Key qualifications include:

• PhD. in Immunology, Biochemistry, Molecular/Cell Biology, Protein Science, Bioengineering, or a related field, with 2-5 years of relevant industry experience (postdoctoral experience considered).
• Hands-on experience with antibody assays such as ELISA, SPR, BLI, and/or flow cytometry.
• Experience developing or running cell-based internalization assays.
• Experience with cell-based assays evaluating antibody internalization, receptor dynamics, and downstream signaling.
• Strong mammalian cell culture skills and aseptic technique; experience generating and characterizing cell lines.
• Practical experience with signaling assay formats (e.g., reporter gene assays, phospho-flow, Western blot) and protein analytical techniques (e.g., SEC-HPLC, SDS-PAGE/CE).
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills with the ability to present data clearly to cross-functional audiences.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, team-oriented biotech environment.
• Initiative and independent scientific thinking: identifying a problem, proposing an approach, and carrying it through with limited supervision
• Process- and detail-oriented with the creativity to build novel assays while keeping data decision-grade

At a personal level, we want someone collaborative, collegial, intellectually curious, driven, trustworthy, and humble, with sound judgement and strong technical decision-making. As one of our earliest hires, this person helps shape a culture we want to thrive in. Underlying all of it is a commitment to rigorous science and to the patients waiting for treatments that better meet their needs. The team is small, and the work is deeply cross-functional. We want someone thoughtful, highly organized, and energized by a fast-paced start-up. The hire will have real influence on science and room to grow as the company advances.

It is understood that education, while an important index of achievement, orientation, and intellectual capacity, will not constitute the primary variable in this decision process. Personal characteristics, leadership abilities, technical fluency, creativity, work ethic, behavioral flexibility, and demonstrated accomplishments will serve as key components in the evaluation of candidates. This person will be based at the company’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA, on a hybrid schedule dictated by wet-lab experimental needs.

Salary base range 110000 - 160000 USD