Scientist, Cell Biology

Flagship Pioneering•Cambridge, MA

17h•$100,000 - $143,000

About The Position

The Company FL99 is developing novel delivery technologies that will fundamentally redefine how genetic medicines can treat disease. We’re looking for future colleagues who are driven to solve incredibly hard problems in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. If that sounds like you, we’d love to consider your application. We are seeking an outstanding Scientist I, Cell Biology (exact title flexible based on qualifications) to join us in ideating and building the next generation of Programmable Medicines. Our mission is to completely re-imagine nucleic acid therapeutics, casting aside long-standing dogma to pioneer integrated innovation at the cutting edge of both payload and delivery. This is a rare and unique opportunity to be one of the first employees of a biotech startup that combines an insurgent, swing-for-the-fences mindset with the backing, resources, and know-how of one of biotech’s leading VCs. ABOUT FLAGSHIP PIONEERING: Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated more than 100 companies. Many of these companies have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture. Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com . At Flagship, we accept impossible missions to enable bigger leaps. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact. We are an equal opportunity employer . All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We recognize that great candidates often bring unique strengths without fulfilling every qualification . If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your background and interest in Flagship. Recruitment & Staffing Agencies : Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto. The salary range for this role is $100,000 - $143,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. FL99 currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on FL99's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related field, preferably in the context of DNA- or RNA-related research
Expertise in a diverse array of cell biology techniques (described in Responsibilities below)
Experience developing and executing cell-based delivery assays
Outstanding rigor and creativity in planning, executing, and interpreting experiments
Caring deeply about your work and your colleagues
Passion for challenging, fast-paced, ever-changing science
Technical expert : You have a deep background in Cell Biology. You have experience and enjoy working with a diverse array of cells and cell-based assays, ideally in the context of nucleic acid delivery.
Mission-driven scientist : You have an unquenchable spirit to build something new that will create huge impact for the world.
Relentless pioneer : You thrive in new and unknown territory - capable of charting comprehensive but actionable plans, executing rapidly and iteratively to make progress, and reliably delivering decisive readouts on time.
Team player : You flourish in collaborative work environments with other highly skilled individuals. You readily support your colleagues’ challenges & celebrate their victories.
Effective communicator : You not only understand the science but are capable of conveying technical information in a clear, concise, and decisive manner.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with molecular biology techniques, particularly those related to nucleic acid production and purification (IVT, PCR, nucleic acid extraction, HPLC, etc.)
Familiarity with basic animal studies involving nucleic acid medicines (experimental design, CRO management, cell/tissue processing, immunohistochemistry, etc.)

Responsibilities

Contribute to Cell Biology innovation , aligned with the company’s core strategic goals. We’re looking for someone who can think critically and creatively about cell-based assays, not merely execute them.
Plan and execute Cell Biology experiments. We’re looking for someone who’s excited to roll up their sleeves and pursue hands-on science. This is primarily a bench role, at least at the outset.
Culturing and transfecting diverse mammalian cell types (primary and immortalized, human and rodent, immune and non-immune, etc.)
General cell-based assay development and screening to assess cargo delivery/uptake Experience developing endosomal escape/subcellular localization assays preferred
Quantifying protein expression using a range of methods (luminescence/fluorescence plate-reader assays, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, ELISA, Western blot, etc.) Experience with in vitro translation assays (e.g., rabbit reticulocyte) preferred
Evaluating immune responses to novel nucleic acid cargoes (e.g., cytokine profiling at RNA/protein level)
Kit-based nucleic acid extraction
Familiarity with fluorescence/confocal microscopy
Additional responsibilities may include molecular biology (e.g., nucleic acid production/purification) and contributing to animal studies
This role does not involve hands-on work with live animals