Advisor - Protein Engineering and CAR Design

Role Summary

Advisor - Protein Engineering and CAR Design. Lead efforts to discover, design, and engineer protein therapeutics and Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) with a focus on function, potency, stability, developability, and immunogenicity. Collaborate across functional teams to advance biotherapeutics and explore targeted delivery of bioconjugates or nucleic acids to cells.

Responsibilities

• Design, engineer, and optimize novel CARs using structure-guided and experimental approaches to improve biological function, potency, time-action, stability, and immunogenicity.
• Apply knowledge of protein structure–function relationships and structure–activity relationships to guide molecular engineering efforts.
• Lead independent research projects from concept to execution; analyze results and identify new strategies to design and optimize biotherapeutics.
• Troubleshoot complex challenges in protein engineering and develop innovative solutions.
• Advance core capabilities in antibody and protein engineering and contribute to new platform technologies.
• Serve as a protein engineering lead on cross-functional project teams, collaborating with computational biology, development, manufacturing, and translational teams.
• Present findings at internal meetings and contribute to scientific publications/regulatory documents as appropriate.
• Mentor junior scientists and research associates; stay current with scientific trends and competitive landscape in biologics discovery.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in protein engineering, protein biochemistry, structural biology, protein biophysics, molecular biology, or related field.
• Minimum 3 years of postdoctoral experience in CAR-T technologies.
• Strong foundation in protein structure and function; demonstrated success in rational design and experimental approaches in affinity, function, or stability engineering.
• Proficiency in computational tools for structure modeling and analysis (e.g., Rosetta, Schrödinger, Chimera, PyMOL, MOE, AlphaFold).
• Hands-on experience in molecular cloning and protein engineering.

Additional Preferences

• Postdoctoral or industry experience in protein engineering or structural biology.
• Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis and workflow automation.
• Record of scientific productivity (first-author publications, patents, or conference presentations).
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail; strong communication and teamwork.
• Knowledge in protein sciences, structural biology, protein-protein interactions, and SAR; library design and screening experience (phage/yeast display).
• Understanding of antibody generation and biologics drug discovery; exposure to AI/ML in protein design is a plus.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Proficiency with scientific software and Microsoft Office.