Immunology Senior Research Scientist - Spatial Transcriptomics

Vertex Inc. • Seattle, WA

8d • $124,200 - $186,400 • Onsite

About The Position

At Vertex, we invest in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. Our growing Molecular Profiling team is seeking a Senior Scientist, Spatial Transcriptomics to provide scientific and deep technical expertise in spatial biology to support discovery, translational, and development programs. This role will be instrumental in driving mechanistic insights into disease biology, tissue microenvironments, cell-cell interactions, and therapeutic response through spatial profiling of gene expression in tissue context. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in spatial transcriptomics, tissue-based molecular profiling, experimental design, and data interpretation, along with strong cross-functional collaboration skills and a passion for technical innovation.

Requirements

• Deep expertise in spatial transcriptomics and tissue-based molecular profiling
• Strong understanding of transcriptomics, RNA biology, tissue architecture, and cellular heterogeneity
• Experience with fresh frozen and FFPE tissue processing, tissue quality assessment, and assay optimization
• Familiarity with one or more spatial biology platforms, including sequencing-based and imaging-based technologies
• Experience integrating spatial data with single-cell, proteomic, imaging, and histologic datasets
• Working knowledge of computational approaches for spatial data analysis, visualization, and interpretation, including proficiency in R and/or Python and familiarity with relevant analysis tools and workflows
• Strong experimental rigor, problem-solving ability, and attention to data quality and reproducibility
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in a matrixed, multidisciplinary environment
• PhD in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or related discipline with 2+ years of relevant experience; or Master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience; or Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with one or more spatial transcriptomics platforms (e.g., sequencing-based or imaging-based such as 10x Genomics Visium, Nanostring CosMx or similar technologies)
• Experience with histology, immunofluorescence, image analysis, and multiplexed tissue profiling
• Experience supporting drug discovery, translational research, or clinical biomarker development, ideally in immunology or inflammation
• Familiarity with single-cell RNA-seq analysis and integration of multi-omics datasets
• Experience in immunology and inflammation disease areas
• Knowledge of spatial proteomics or broader tissue-based profiling approaches

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, execution, and optimization of spatial transcriptomics studies to address key biological questions in disease-relevant tissues and model systems
• Lead efforts to characterize tissue architecture, cellular microenvironments, cell-cell interactions, and spatial organization of biological processes
• Generate and interpret high-quality spatial data to derive biological insights that support disease biology, target biology, mechanism of action, and biomarker strategies
• Integrate spatial transcriptomics data with complementary datasets, including single-cell RNA-seq, proteomics, imaging, histology, and other molecular profiling approaches to enable multi-modal biological insights
• Develop, validate, and implement robust workflows for sample preparation, assay execution, quality control, and data review
• Evaluate and apply emerging spatial biology technologies to expand research capabilities and enable innovative scientific applications
• Drive adoption of best practices and contribute to establishing robust spatial biology workflows and standards across the team
• Partner closely with cross-functional teams across disease biology, pharmacology, translational medicine, biomarker sciences, bioinformatics, and clinical development to inform study design, data interpretation, and program strategy
• Contribute to internal scientific strategy through clear communication of results, technical recommendations, and experimental insights
• Prepare technical documentation, protocols, study summaries, and presentations
• Mentor junior scientists and help build a collaborative, high-performing team environment

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision benefits
• Generous paid time off (including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter)
• Educational assistance programs including student loan repayment
• Generous commuting subsidy
• Matching charitable donations
• 401(k)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree