Senior Scientist Peptide Discovery

Basecamp Research • Boston, MA

4d • $110,000 - $165,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Basecamp Research is seeking a proactive Senior Scientist, Peptide Discovery, to join its Boston, Massachusetts team. Reporting to the Head of Gene Editing and Early Discovery, this role supports experimental validation of AI-generated peptide candidates across therapeutic programs, including antifungal, antimicrobial, and cardiometabolic peptides. The work uses cell culture-based functional, safety, and developability assays to inform the company’s AI-guided peptide discovery pipeline.

The scientist will conduct mammalian cell culture and cell-based assays, including cytotoxicity and viability, hemolysis, permeability, and GLP-1 receptor activation assays. The role also involves supporting immunogenicity risk assessment, stable cell line development, dose-response analysis, peptide preparation, and fungal susceptibility testing. The successful candidate will document and communicate results, collaborate with computational and AI teams, and independently develop assay strategies and recommend follow-up testing. Senior Scientists also mentor junior staff and help set assay development priorities.

Requirements

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, bioengineering, or a related life-sciences field, or an MSc with equivalent hands-on laboratory experience.
• Strong, demonstrated hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, including aseptic technique, cell-line maintenance, and viability or cytotoxicity assays.
• Expertise in flow cytometry using both antibody panels and fluorescent reporters.
• Experience with cell-based functional or signaling assays, such as cAMP, GPCR activation, or reporter gene assays.
• Ability to work independently on multi-step, multi-day assay timelines.
• Experience with hemolysis assays or other peptide membrane-toxicity screens.
• Knowledge of setting up assays to track peptide half-life in human serum, plasma, or simulated physiological fluids.
• Experience with permeability or barrier models, or membrane-permeabilization assays.
• Experience with immunogenicity risk assessment tools, including in silico epitope-prediction software or PBMC-based assays.
• Basic familiarity with microbial or fungal handling, or willingness to be trained.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience with GLP-1R or other incretin-receptor cell-based assays, including cAMP/HTRF, luciferase reporter, or similar assays; or experience generating and working with stable receptor-expressing cell lines.
• Experience running Biacore surface plasmon resonance (SPR) testing to measure peptide binding kinetics.
• Experience with peptide handling or reconstitution, or basic synthetic peptide chemistry.
• Exposure to high-throughput or medium-throughput screening formats.
• Prior exposure to antimicrobial or antifungal susceptibility testing, including MIC/MBC testing against fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans, Candida auris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Fusarium graminearum.
• Mechanism-driven approach to follow-up testing, including interest in mechanisms such as cell-wall disruption, membrane depolarization, or intracellular targeting.
• Mechanistic understanding of gene-editing tools, including nucleases, base editors, transposons, retrotransposons, and recombinases.
• Familiarity with modern software and AI tools, and an intentional, AI-first approach to work.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including engineers, data scientists, biologists, product managers, and external partners.
• Proactive, resourceful, and independent approach to identifying and addressing problems or inefficiencies.
• Comfort with ambiguity and rapid change, flexibility in adjusting plans, and a positive, can-do attitude.
• Strong ownership, follow-through, and commitment to delivering quality results.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine mammalian cell culture, including work with cell lines such as HepG2, HEK293, CHO, or receptor-expressing stable cell lines.
• Design and run cell-based cytotoxicity and viability assays, such as CellTiter Blue or equivalent assays in 96-well formats.
• Run hemolysis assays using red blood cells to assess peptide membrane-disruptive toxicity.
• Run cell permeability assays to evaluate peptide membrane interaction and barrier penetration.
• Support immunogenicity risk assessment, including potential in silico T-cell epitope prediction and PBMC-based cytokine-release or proliferation assays.
• Run cell-based GLP-1 and related incretin receptor activation assays, including cAMP accumulation assays in GLP-1R-expressing stable cell lines.
• Support or help establish stable reporter or receptor cell lines, including transfection, antibiotic selection, and flow cytometry-based confirmation of receptor expression.
• Generate and fit dose-response curves for potency and safety endpoints, including EC50, LC50, and hemolytic or cytotoxic thresholds.
• Prepare peptide stock and working solutions from synthesized crude and high-purity peptides for cell-based testing.
• Support MIC-style fungal susceptibility assays against organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Candida auris, and Fusarium graminearum.
• Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory notebooks and contribute to data summaries, figures, and reports.
• Collaborate with computational and AI team members to share experimental results and inform iterative peptide down-selection across therapeutic programs.
• Independently design cell-based assay strategies, develop assays for emerging peptide targets or developability endpoints, and propose follow-on testing based on results.
• Mentor junior staff and help set assay development priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity.
• Healthcare coverage described as strong, with many employees' family members opting into the company plan.
• Carrot Fertility with IVF stipend.
• 401(k).
• Life insurance.
• Coaching for team members during steep growth journeys.
• Twice-yearly promotion opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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