Raven StealthCo - Principal Scientist, In Vivo Pharmacology

Raven•Boston, MA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Raven StealthCo is a well-funded, stealth-mode biotechnology company focused on next-generation oligo-based modalities targeting tissues beyond the liver, muscle, and kidney. We are building a platform to deliver oligos with high precision to previously untargeted cells, while focused on “undruggable” genes, alone or in combination with previously validated targets. Many of our targets carry "pipeline-in-a-drug" potential: a single gene or protein with meaningful biological effects across multiple disease areas. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company was incubated in RA Capital’s venture group (Raven) and is led by an experienced CEO. After a robust incubation and vetting process, Raven StealthCo was launched and funded by RA Capital. The company’s therapeutic areas of interest lie outside commonly targeted cells and tissues, and represent multi-billion-dollar markets that are continuing to grow as the population ages. Our initial focus is creating transformational therapies to treat diseases, but given the platform potential, we have longer-term ambitions to address healthy aging. These targets are backed by strong biological and genetic evidence but have historically resisted small molecule and biologic approaches. Raven StealthCo is moving quickly to address multiple disease indications at scale and with significant market potential. We are in the discovery stage and will invest heavily in our emerging platform for oligonucleotide delivery. Our disease focus is supported by highly predictive animal models with strong translatability to humans, offering a potentially rapid and efficient path to the clinic. Given our recent funding and commitment to building a first-in-class platform, we are recruiting a Principal Scientist / Associate Director, In Vivo Pharmacology to design, manage, and interpret the externally executed studies that establish pharmacokinetics, target engagement, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy for our programs.

Requirements

PhD. in pharmacology, physiology, cell and molecular biology, or a related discipline, with 7+ years of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience; or M.S./B.S. with commensurate experience.
Demonstrated ownership of in vivo pharmacology workstreams in discovery research and preclinical development, from target validation through candidate selection and development, with learning agility across disease biology
Track record designing, outsourcing, and managing CRO-executed in vivo studies: vendor qualification, protocol negotiation, budget and timeline ownership, on-site oversight (if needed), and critical evaluation of external data
Hands-on rodent experience (dosing by multiple routes, in-life assessment, terminal collection) sufficient to design realistic protocols and challenge a CRO, plus experience designing or running non-human-primate studies
In vivo phenotyping experience (quantitative imaging, histology and morphometry, tissue functional testing, circulating biomarkers)
Experience developing translational biomarkers across research and development
Strong quantitative and statistical fluency
Working familiarity with IACUC review, AAALAC-accredited facilities, and the documentation behind a defensible nonclinical package, sufficient for sponsor-side oversight of external studies
Comfortable guiding junior scientists day to day, or eager to grow into it
Brings a strategic, program-level perspective to in vivo pharmacology and is motivated to expand that influence as the company grows
Process- and detail-oriented, and an effective communicator who operates independently and manages external partners with authority, keeping in vivo data reproducible, well-controlled, and decision-grade
Collaborative, collegial, intellectually curious, driven, trustworthy, and humble, with sound judgement and strong technical decision-making.
Commitment to rigorous science and to the patients waiting for treatments that meet their needs.
Thoughtful, highly organized, and energized by a fast-paced start-up.
Degree in a relevant discipline such as pharmacology, physiology, or cell and molecular biology.

Nice To Haves

Experience in our indication is a plus, not a requirement
Experience with oligonucleotide therapeutics or other genetic medicines, especially interpreting pharmacology where exposure, target engagement, and phenotype are separated in time
Comfort with R or Python for larger datasets is a plus
Experience mentoring juniors is welcome; the appetite to build rigorous in vivo practice from the ground up matters more than a long management record.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Director to set the staged in vivo pharmacology plan (target validation and proof-of-concept through dose-response, duration of effect, and candidate selection and development), and own its execution
Design the CRO-executed rodent and non-human-primate studies (controls, power, pre-specified endpoints) and author the protocols and analysis plans
Qualify and manage CRO partners for in vivo studies and outsourced analytics (scope, budget, timeline, quality), serving as day-to-day scientific contact from pre-study alignment through in-life monitoring and troubleshooting
Select, qualify, and de-risk the in vivo models, setting performance, variability, and effect-size expectations before pivotal studies
Own the in vivo endpoint suite: quantitative histology and morphometry, tissue-based PD readouts, circulating and tissue biomarkers, and -omics readouts as needed
With the delivery and analytical chemistry groups, connect biodistribution and tissue exposure to pharmacodynamics and phenotype, and design and interpret the PK/PD studies that set exposure–activity–efficacy relationships for dose, schedule, and duration
Define the in vivo and translational biomarker plan carrying programs from research into development, aligned with overall program strategy
Own sample logistics for in vivo studies (receipt, cataloging, storage, chain of custody, and shipment to and from CRO and analytical partners), specifying per study which tissues and readouts are needed and handing samples to the in vitro scientist for execution
Provide hands-on support for tissue processing so samples reach downstream analysis fit for purpose
Benchmark candidates against standard-of-care and mechanistic comparators, and contribute to IND-enabling and larger-species study design and the nonclinical narrative as programs mature
Provide sponsor-side data integrity, documentation, and animal-welfare oversight of external studies (CRO and IACUC review, chain of custody, reproducibility) for an eventual regulatory package, and build the in vivo record-keeping, data, and protocol templates the group runs on
Mentor junior team members and help grow the team as remits expand
Bring in vivo results, their program implications, and competitive-landscape intelligence into cross-functional and leadership discussion, help shape how in vivo findings reach the Board, investors, and partners, and contribute to publications, patents, and presentations