Senior Research Scientist, Target Identification & Validation — Translational Immunology
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
4 months ago
On-site
Seattle, WA
Clinical Research and Development
Key Duties And Responsibilities
- Design, execute, and interpret experiments to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets relevant to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
- Develop and optimize disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo assay systems using primary human immune cells and patient-derived samples to evaluate target biology and therapeutic potential
- Integrate multi-dimensional datasets including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and functional data to generate and refine target hypotheses
- Collaborate with data and computational sciences colleagues to leverage large-scale human datasets for target discovery and prioritization
- Contribute to the design and execution of in vivo studies to assess target relevance and therapeutic mechanisms in preclinical models
- Present scientific findings and strategic recommendations to cross-functional project teams, senior leadership, and external collaborators with clarity and scientific rigor
- Evaluate and implement emerging technologies and experimental platforms to advance target identification and validation capabilities
- Collaborate closely with immune cell profiling, clinical biomarker, and drug discovery teams to support program progression
- Maintain thorough and accurate documentation in electronic laboratory notebooks and contribute to internal knowledge-sharing
- Stay current with scientific literature to inform research strategy
- Perform other duties as assigned
Knowledge And Skills
- Strong expertise in immunology and immune cell biology
- Proven experience isolating, culturing, and functionally characterizing primary human immune cells from peripheral blood and tissues
- Deep proficiency in multi-parameter flow cytometry (panel design, acquisition, data analysis)
- Hands-on experience with ELISA, MSD, qPCR, Western blotting, and cell-based functional assays
- Familiarity with CRISPR-based gene editing for target validation
- Working knowledge of single-cell technologies, multi-omics, and high-dimensional data analysis
- Basic computational skills (data visualization and statistical analysis)
- Ability to design rigorous experiments and draw clear scientific conclusions
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong collaboration skills in cross-functional, multi-site teams
- Scientific creativity with attention to detail, data quality, and reproducibility
Education And Experience
- Ph.D. (or equivalent) in immunology/molecular biology/cell biology/biochemistry or related + 2-5 years post-doctoral experience, OR
- Master’s (or equivalent) in related field + 5+ years relevant experience, OR
- Bachelor’s (or equivalent) in related field + 8+ years relevant experience
Benefits (if included)
- Annual bonus and annual equity awards
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits; paid time off (incl. week-long company shutdown in Summer and Winter); educational assistance (incl. student loan repayment); commuting subsidy; matching charitable donations; 401(k)
Application Instructions
- For accommodation requests related to the hiring process or essential job functions: ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com
- Design, execute, and interpret experiments to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets relevant to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
- Develop and optimize disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo assay systems using primary human immune cells and patient-derived samples to evaluate target biology and therapeutic potential
- Integrate multi-dimensional datasets including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and functional data to generate and refine target hypotheses
- Collaborate with data and computational sciences colleagues to leverage large-scale human datasets for target discovery and prioritization
- Contribute to the design and execution of in vivo studies to assess target relevance and therapeutic mechanisms in preclinical models
- Present scientific findings and strategic recommendations to cross-functional project teams, senior leadership, and external collaborators with clarity and scientific rigor
- Evaluate and implement emerging technologies and experimental platforms to advance target identification and validation capabilities
- Collaborate closely with immune cell profiling, clinical biomarker, and drug discovery teams to support program progression
- Maintain thorough and accurate documentation in electronic laboratory notebooks and contribute to internal knowledge-sharing
- Stay current with scientific literature to inform research strategy
- Perform other duties as assigned
Knowledge And Skills
- Strong expertise in immunology and immune cell biology
- Proven experience isolating, culturing, and functionally characterizing primary human immune cells from peripheral blood and tissues
- Deep proficiency in multi-parameter flow cytometry (panel design, acquisition, data analysis)
- Hands-on experience with ELISA, MSD, qPCR, Western blotting, and cell-based functional assays
- Familiarity with CRISPR-based gene editing for target validation
- Working knowledge of single-cell technologies, multi-omics, and high-dimensional data analysis
- Basic computational skills (data visualization and statistical analysis)
- Ability to design rigorous experiments and draw clear scientific conclusions
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong collaboration skills in cross-functional, multi-site teams
- Scientific creativity with attention to detail, data quality, and reproducibility
Education And Experience
- Ph.D. (or equivalent) in immunology/molecular biology/cell biology/biochemistry or related + 2-5 years post-doctoral experience, OR
- Master’s (or equivalent) in related field + 5+ years relevant experience, OR
- Bachelor’s (or equivalent) in related field + 8+ years relevant experience
Benefits (if included)
- Annual bonus and annual equity awards
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits; paid time off (incl. week-long company shutdown in Summer and Winter); educational assistance (incl. student loan repayment); commuting subsidy; matching charitable donations; 401(k)
Application Instructions
- For accommodation requests related to the hiring process or essential job functions: ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com