(Senior) Scientist, Optical Technologies

Flagship Pioneering, Inc.•Cambridge, MA

18h•$100,000 - $180,000

About The Position

At Flagship Pioneering, we build companies around bold scientific ideas. Flagship Labs is our innovation foundry where teams originate, test, and scale breakthrough technologies that can become new bioplatforms. At Flagship Labs 120, we’re assembling a multidisciplinary team to invent, build, and rapidly test innovative technologies for observing biological systems. We are looking for a scientist with deep hands-on experience in optics and vibrational spectroscopy to join the team and help turn promising experimental opportunities into practical capabilities for the platform. This is a zero-to-one role for an engineering-minded scientist who enjoys turning new ideas into practical experiments. We are looking for someone who favors fast, practical, hands-on solutions and will help shape the scientific direction and experimental foundation of a new venture through work across instrumentation, biology, and external collaborations.

Requirements

PhD (or equivalent experience) in physics, biophysics, chemistry, engineering, bioengineering, or a related discipline.
Deep hands-on experience developing and applying optical microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy techniques such as Raman microscopy, IR spectroscopy, or related methods.
Strong experimental background and demonstrated ability to independently execute and troubleshoot complex experiments.
Solid understanding of the physics and engineering of optical instrumentation.
Strong scientific judgment and the ability to distinguish meaningful biological signals from technical artifacts.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing or optimizing advanced Raman spectroscopy (e.g. CARS, SRS) or IR spectroscopy (e.g. photothermal IR), or related techniques.
Experience working with biological samples such as cells or tissue. Familiarity with cell culture or live cell assays is a plus.
Familiarity with molecular or cell biology sufficient to understand literature and adopt new experimental protocols.
Programming or scripting experience (Python, MATLAB, or similar) for instrument automation and experimental data analysis.
Experience working with external collaborators, university core facilities, or CROs.
Previous experience in startup, translational, or highly interdisciplinary research environments.

Responsibilities

Design and execute experiments using advanced optical and vibrational spectroscopy measurement techniques to characterize biological systems.
Own a portfolio of internal and external experiments, coordinating work across CROs, university core facilities, academic collaborators, and internal teams.
Develop, refine, and document experimental workflows, protocols, and SOPs to improve measurement quality, reproducibility, and operational efficiency.
Troubleshoot instrumentation, identify sources of experimental variability, and improve data quality and reproducibility.
Stay current across relevant fields to identify promising new experiments and applications.
Contribute to the scientific strategy and technical roadmap of a founding-stage venture.