Principal Scientist I/II —CAR-T Lead

Novartis•Cambridge, MA

7d•$108,500 - $222,300•Onsite

About The Position

Novartis is seeking a highly motivated PhD scientist with 1–2 years of relevant experience to join a multidisciplinary cell therapeutics discovery team within Oncology Immune Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This key individual contributor will collaborate with cross-functional research partners, applying expertise in CAR-T engineering and T-cell biology to investigate novel cell therapy platforms and design, generate, and evaluate CAR constructs. The scientist will generate high-quality data to deepen understanding of emerging CAR-T therapies, inform research and development decisions, and contribute to the design of future clinical trials. The role focuses on advancing next-generation CAR-T approaches, including logic-gated CAR-T constructs, functional testing and optimization, engineered experimental models, and integrated analysis supporting candidate prioritization and translational opportunities.

Requirements

PhD in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, or a related discipline.
1–2 years of relevant research experience.
Hands-on experience in CAR-T engineering or engineered T-cell approaches.
Expertise in ex vivo cell characterization using multicolor flow cytometry (FACS) and cytokine profiling methods such as ELISA, MSD, or Luminex.
Experience with immune-cell isolation techniques and culture of primary human T cells.
Experience designing and generating lentiviral CAR constructs and interpreting functional data to guide iterative construct optimization.
Ability to independently design and execute experiments, prioritize research activities, solve complex problems, and make evidence-based recommendations.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment and adapt to changing research directions and priorities.
Strong collaboration and scientific communication skills, meticulous documentation practices, and commitment to research quality and data integrity.

Nice To Haves

Experience partnering with computational biology, target discovery, and in vivo pharmacology teams to advance engineered cell therapies.
Experience with engineered T-cell manufacturing and culture.
Understanding of synthetic biology principles applied to cell engineering.
Experience developing functional profiling approaches and experimental models that support candidate selection and translational decision-making.

Responsibilities

Design and execute research to advance next-generation CAR-T approaches, translating project objectives into experimental plans and decision criteria.
Design, generate, and evaluate complex lentiviral constructs for logic-gated CAR-T approaches.
Perform functional testing and optimization of CAR-T cells, and collaboratively develop and test novel analytical methods.
Execute cell-line engineering to develop experimental models for evaluating function and informing construct selection.
Analyze and integrate findings across engineering, in vitro biology, and in vivo pharmacology to inform candidate prioritization and translational opportunities.
Collaboratively drive projects to meet established timelines while maintaining quality and data integrity standards.
Follow established protocols and SOPs, and maintain meticulous records in an electronic laboratory notebook.
Contribute to technical documents and, where relevant, scientific content for regulatory submissions.
Present results, project updates, and recommendations to cross-functional teams, department meetings, and scientific leadership.