Scientist I

Role Summary

Scientist I role within the Translational Medicine team focused on biomarker strategies bridging preclinical and clinical applications, supporting integration of laboratory and clinical data to enable informed decision-making in drug development with emphasis on precision medicine and patient stratification.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize new cell-based assays to interrogate biomarkers in an in vitro immunology capacity with minimal supervision.
• Use molecular techniques and classical virology to generate critical reagents for assay development, including development of recombinant and reporter systems.
• Produce viral, bacterial or other biomarker materials and characterize generated material to support translational medicine and related departments such as clinical immunology.
• Develop, execute and apply epitope mapping, neutralization and inhibition and binding assays, and cell-receptor or hemagglutination assays including ELISA-based, reporter systems, or others.
• Assist with testing of serum samples in a variety of in vitro cell-based assays to complete translational medicine evaluation of biomarker and vaccine targets.
• Organize, present and communicate scientific findings in inter- and intra-departmental meetings.
• Stay up to date in current and relevant literature.
• Maintain detailed notebooks, inventory and/or experimental procedures as per company policy.
• Review and assist in generating new Standard Operating Procedures and documentation.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Immunology, Oncology, Pharmacology, or a related field with at least 2 years of relevant postdoctoral or industry experience.
• Cell culture experience required.
• Cell biology and Molecular Biology technique expertise required.
• Prior independent de novo assay development strongly preferred.

Technical Skills

• Excellent cell culture and aseptic technique, including experience in generating cell-based reagents and viruses and working knowledge of cell-based in vitro assays.
• Hands-on experience and expertise with molecular and cellular biology techniques.
• Familiarity with data analysis software including SoftMax, Prism.
• Familiarity and ability to locate, view and align sequences and plasmid maps (e.g., Snapgene, CLC Workbench, NCBI, GISAID).
• PCR, cloning, plasmid design, and expression in vitro.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong collaboration and team-working abilities.

Physical Requirements

• Mobility & Dexterity
  • Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time (e.g., during experiments, testing or while working at benches).
  • Fine motor skills for handling small instruments, pipettes or delicate samples.
  • Ability to bend, reach, squat or climb small ladders/steps.
• Visual and Auditory Requirements
  • Good vision (corrected if necessary) for reading labels, observing color changes, using microscopes, etc.
  • Hearing must be sufficient to detect alarms or verbal instructions in the lab environment.
• Lifting and Carrying
  • Ability to life and carry up to 25-30 lbs. (e.g., boxes of supplies, lab equipment, waste containers).
  • Some roles may require pushing/pulling carts or equipment.
• Environmental Tolerance
  • Comfortable working in environments with chemical fumes or biological materials (PPE is typically provided).
  • Noise from equipment (centrifuges, refrigerators, etc.).
  • Cold rooms, warm rooms, or areas with variable temperature/humidity.
• Protective Equipment Use
  • Must be able to wear lab coats, gloves, safety glasses, face shields, respirators, etc., for extended periods.