Scientist, Cell Biology

Flagship Pioneering, Inc.•Cambridge, MA

7h•$100,000 - $143,000•Onsite

About The Position

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.

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

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. Key responsibilities include:
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