Principal Scientist in Cell, Molecular, and Immunology

GSK • Cambridge, MA

8d

About The Position

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. R&D is committed to discovering and delivering transformational vaccines and medicines to prevent and change the course of disease. We believe the Greater Boston area is an important hub for the biotech and pharma industry, which is why we’ve invested in growing our footprint and expanding our R&D space in Cambridge, with a primary focus on additional state-of-the-art lab space. Here, we will bring together talent and expertise, building upon GSK’s long history of vaccine development, to create globally leading viral capabilities and cutting-edge vaccines technologies, as we add to our robust portfolio targeting infectious diseases at every stage of life. In the plan to create a new hub for mRNA-based vaccine discovery in Cambridge, we are building new laboratories that will be focused on the development of state-of-the-art methods that will be supporting deep product understanding, process and product development, as well as testing of pre-clinical and clinical samples for new mRNA-based vaccines. This is a Principal Scientist position in the Analytical Research and Development (ARD) team supporting vaccine development. You will drive scientific development and execute assays used to evaluate early-stage vaccine candidates, from discovery through GLP‑Tox batch characterization. You will bring significant knowledge of analytical development in ligand-binding assays, cell-based assays, and molecular biology assays supporting characterization, identity, purity, functional assays, and other quality attributes for drug substance (DS), drug product (DP), process intermediates, and preclinical candidates. A strong understanding of the vaccine development lifecycle, relevant regulatory guidance, and interpretation of biochemical datasets is required.

Requirements

• Degree in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related scientific field.
• PhD with ≥4 years of postdoctoral or industry experience, MS with ≥8 years of industry experience, or BS with ≥10 years of laboratory experience.
• ≥3 years of experience with ELISA, Luminex, flow cytometry, ligand-binding assays, Western blotting, and/or cell-based assays.

Nice To Haves

• ≥3 years of analytical method development supporting vaccines.
• Strong track record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, or other demonstrations of scientific success.
• Prior experience implementing robotic systems to increase analytical efficiency.
• ≥3 years of experience developing analytical templates in SoftMax Pro, Prism, or other analytical software.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis.
• Experience writing technical documents to support the analytical lifecycle (technical memos, feasibility, qualification, method transfer), or authoring CMC sections for regulatory filings.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture.
• Familiarity with ICH Q2(R1).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key contributor across a diverse team of scientists within a global organization; act as a strong technical leader in the laboratory, and be an excellent communicator and collaborator with peers and across functions.
• Plan and execute ligand-binding assays, including ELISA, Luminex, Quanterix, Western blotting, Gyros, and AlphaLISA.
• Develop and execute cell-based assays, including expression analysis by flow cytometry, high-content imaging, Western blotting, or other related technologies.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data, and document results in electronic laboratory notebooks in a detailed and concise manner.
• Write detailed protocols, procedures, and work instructions to support assays.
• Draft technical sections of internal and external reports, and contribute to scientific papers and patents.
• Author technical reports for regulatory filings.
• Report results in team, cross-functional, and cross-department meetings.
• Maintain strong organization to track key project-related deadlines.
• Multi-task effectively and contribute to multiple projects concurrently.
• Contribute to the maintenance of a clean and safe workplace.

Benefits

• Available benefits include health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and paid caregiver/parental and medical leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees