Principal Scientist

Alphanumeric•Cambridge, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Alphanumeric is hiring a PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST to work in Cambridge, MA with our client of 20 years committed to improving lives through medical and pharmaceutical advancements. Pay Range: $78.00 - $83.50/hour (W2) W2 only. No C2C or third-party candidates will be considered. Position Overview We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to lead the development of scalable, cell-based assay platforms for evaluating and ranking multi-epitope mRNA construct designs in a high-throughput environment. This role requires deep expertise in flow cytometry and microscopy-based cellular readouts, with the ability to translate complex assay data into clear, actionable design recommendations to advance mRNA vaccine development.

Requirements

PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, or related field with 3+ years of postdoctoral and/or industry experience (or MS with 8+ years).
Strong knowledge of molecular biology techniques (cloning, RNA production, characterization).
Deep understanding of RNA biology and mRNA vaccine design principles.
Extensive hands-on experience with flow cytometry (design → execution → analysis) and building reproducible assays.
Experience working with immune and/or engineered cell lines.
Practical experience with microscopy-based assays (confocal or high-content imaging).
Flow cytometry assay development and analysis
Cell-based assay design (immune-focused)
mRNA/RNA biology and construct optimization
Data interpretation and decision-making for design iteration
Cross-functional collaboration (biology + RNA + data teams)

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-throughput cellular assay development (96/384-well formats, assay miniaturization, robustness metrics).
Hands-on experience with automation platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton) or strong collaboration with automation teams.
Familiarity with multiplex protein assays (e.g., cytokine panels).
Expertise in T cell functional assays and translating results into construct design decisions.
Knowledge of antigen processing and presentation pathways.
Exposure to immunopeptidomics.
Experience with data workflows for high-throughput biology (LIMS, metadata standards, reproducible pipelines).
Experience in vaccine development or infectious disease research
Background in biotech/pharma R&D environments
Familiarity with AI/ML-supported assay analysis or design workflows
Prior experience scaling assays from early research to platform level

Responsibilities

Lead development of cell-based assays to evaluate and rank multi-epitope mRNA construct designs (e.g., expression/presentation proxies, antigen-specific T cell activation, breadth/competition effects).
Provide technical leadership in flow cytometry, including panel design, controls, acquisition, gating strategies, SOP development, troubleshooting, and data quality control.
Partner closely with Molecular Biology and RNA teams to design and iterate mRNA constructs based on assay outcomes.
Establish robust, reproducible workflows using cell lines and/or primary immune cells.
Enable high-throughput assay execution (96/384-well formats) with standardized controls and scalable analysis templates.
Mentor team members and build internal capabilities around new assay platforms.
Ensure data integrity, documentation, and compliance with internal standards; support assay transfer across teams and sites.
Stay current on advancements in RNA vaccines, immunology, and assay technologies.
Contribute to internal reports, publications, and scientific presentations.
Foster a collaborative, high-performance scientific environment.