Senior Scientist, Cell Therapy Discovery

AstraZeneca • Waltham, MA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

AstraZeneca is a science-led biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming patient outcomes. We seek a curious, collaborative Senior Scientist to advance novel cell therapies for autoimmune and other immunology indications. This hands-on research role requires efficient and competent experimental execution, strong cross-functional communication, and proactive project planning to advance programs in a highly-matrixed environment.

Requirements

• PhD in immunology, cell biology, or related field with 0-5 years experience; or BS or MS with 10+ years of experience in a related field (industry experience strongly preferred).
• Primary human cell culture and functional cell-based assays; multi‑color flow cytometry; multiplex cytokine detection; assay development.
• Extensive autoimmunity and/or inflammation experience: Familiarity with in vitro and in vivo model systems for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, COPD, fibrosis, etc.
• Strong experimental design, analysis, and interpretation; proficiency with tools such as FlowJo and Prism.
• Proven ability to communicate complex scientific concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong drive for discovery, scientific curiosity, collaborative mindset; ability to mentor and influence across teams.

Nice To Haves

• Work with engineered cell products (e.g., T cell subsets, CAR-based modalities); familiarity with novel CAR or antibody target discovery.
• Hands-on planning, oversight, and execution of murine in vivo studies using autoimmune disease models; animal handling; standard dosing and engraftment; analysis of pharmacodynamic, immunophenotyping, and efficacy endpoints.
• Experience integrating complex datasets to guide decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead cell therapy target validation and characterize activity of engineered cell therapies using human primary cells and functional co-culture assays; develop and optimize assays; preferred flexibility to additionally contribute to in vivo study design and execution in partnership with in vivo pharmacology.
• Apply a rigorous, data-driven approach to experimental design, mechanism-of-action studies, and decision-making; use appropriate analytics and visualization; document work to high standards.
• Drive alignment with other teams including protein engineering, genomics, translational science, clinical, and CMC; translate scientific plans into clear objectives, risks, and decision points for clear communication across groups and to leadership.
• Collaborate to build and maintain project plans and timelines; manage dependencies and track progress to milestones.
• Present results and recommendations to teams and leadership; mentor colleagues and foster a productive lab environment.

What This Job Offers

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