Senior Associate Scientist, Retinal Degeneration

Role Summary

Senior Associate Scientist, Retinal Degeneration in Cambridge, MA. Conduct preclinical drug discovery research for retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. Work collaboratively in matrixed, cross-functional teams to validate therapeutic strategies and discover promising drug candidates and advance them toward clinical development.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and document translational research studies to validate therapeutic targets and discover preclinical drug candidates
• Apply molecular, biochemical, and cellular assays to models of retinal disease and degeneration to assess disease processes, target activity, and biomarkers
• Perform experiments using genetic, biologic, and small molecule perturbations to validate targets, evaluate therapeutic strategies, and assess the pharmacology and efficacy of preclinical candidates
• Analyze and interpret experimental data to support target prioritization, preclinical candidate selection, and go/no-go decisions
• Contribute to interdisciplinary research projects in a highly collaborative and matrixed manner
• Prepare high-quality presentations and documentation to support project deliverables, publications, patent filings, and regulatory filings
• Effectively communicate findings through presentation at team and department meetings

Qualifications

• Required: Earned Bachelor’s degree plus minimum 4 years of relevant experience in an academic or biopharmaceutical setting or Master’s Degree plus minimum 1 year relevant experience in an academic or biopharmaceutical setting
• Required: Research experience in ocular cell biology (e.g., RPE, RGC) or disease-relevant processes (e.g., cell death, metabolic and oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, tissue remodeling, barrier function, inflammatory signaling)
• Required: Experience in translational research or preclinical drug development (in vitro experience highly preferred)
• Required: Experience with molecular, cellular, and biochemical methods and assay development
• Required: Cell culture experience, including work with primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, tissue explants, or cell models relevant to ocular biology
• Required: Experience with genetic or pharmacologic approaches to assess gene and protein function, signaling pathway activity, and/or cellular processes
• Required: Experience preparing high-quality documents including experimental protocols, SOPs, technical reports, and presentations
• Required: Track record of contributions to research projects
• Preferred: Experience analyzing data using computational and statistical tools (e.g., R, Python)
• Preferred: Experience in translational or preclinical drug development for retinal diseases
• Preferred: Experience evaluating target engagement and efficacy of preclinical candidates
• Preferred: Experience developing and conducting high-throughput assays
• Preferred: Experience with cell-based models of retinal disease and degeneration, including primary and iPSC-derived cells
• Preferred: Experience with live-cell and high-content imaging and analyses

Skills

• Ability to work independently as well as part of cross-functional teams in a highly collaborative and matrixed environment
• Ability to multi-task and adapt to rapidly changing priorities and deadlines
• Strong critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively in a multidisciplinary team
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build excellent working relationships
• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, lab notebook practices, and attention to detail