Scientist/Sr. Scientist, mRNA Display

Zealand Pharma•Cambridge, MA

19h•$125,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a Scientist or Senior Scientist in mRNA Display, you will play a central scientific role in our new Molecular Platform Development organization, driving peptide and mini-protein discovery through mRNA display technology. You will help build and operate a modern, high-throughput display platform at the inception of our new Cambridge, MA research center. This role suits a scientist with strong technical expertise across the full mRNA display workflow, scientific curiosity, and a desire to grow in scope and responsibility.

Requirements

Strong technical expertise across the peptide and mini-protein mRNA display workflow
Scientific curiosity and sound judgment
Ability to thrive in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
Motivation to help shape a new platform and research center from an early stage
Ability to communicate scientific data and concepts clearly
Ability to work effectively across cross-functional project teams
PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, or a related field preferred (postdoctoral training preferred); candidates with a BS/MS and significantly more relevant industry experience will also be considered
2+ years of relevant post-degree experience in mRNA display or related in vitro display technologies (Scientist); 4+ years (Senior Scientist)
Experience building custom cell-free display systems from scratch strongly preferred
Experience incorporating non-canonical amino acids via reprogrammed translation systems (e.g., flexizyme-based methods) or related approaches
Experience applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze library diversity and selection enrichment
Familiarity with analytical characterization of peptides (e.g., LC-MS-based methods)
Familiarity with peptide developability considerations (stability, solubility, manufacturability)

Nice To Haves

Experience with other in vitro display technologies (e.g., ribosome display)
Experience with cell-free protein/peptide expression systems (e.g., IVTT, CFS)
Familiarity with associated bioinformatics

Responsibilities

Execute the full peptide and mini-protein mRNA display workflow, from library design and in vitro transcription/translation through puromycin-based fusion, selection, and enrichment
Apply expertise in non-canonical amino acid incorporation to expand chemical diversity within display libraries
Apply chemical modification strategies—including macrocyclization/stapling, lipidation, and bioconjugation—to improve potency, stability, and pharmacokinetic properties
Build and maintain custom cell-free display systems in-house, including establishing mRNA display platforms from scratch
Generate and analyze structure-activity relationship (SAR) data to support optimization of selected hits, contributing to lead and backup candidate selection
Collaborate with computational modeling, design, and data science colleagues to support efficient DMTA cycles