Senior Scientist, Spatial Assays

Bristol Myers Squibb • Seattle, WA

6d • $136,030 - $164,841 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Scientist will work within the Spatial Assays team in Translational Research, Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center. The role leads development and lifecycle management of tissue-based biomarker assays and provides technical expertise supporting translational research and clinical development programs for engineered cell-based therapies. It includes close collaboration with translational scientists, internal pathology laboratories, multidisciplinary project teams, governance committees, and external laboratory partners. The scientist also evaluates and implements emerging spatial and digital pathology technologies to address translational and mechanistic research questions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 or more years of academic and/or industry experience; or a master’s degree and 5 or more years; or a Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences and 2 or more years.
• Strong expertise in IHC, ISH, multiplex immunofluorescence, image analysis, spatial biology, and digital pathology assay development.
• Experience developing, optimizing, qualifying, validating, and implementing tissue-based biomarker assays for translational and clinical studies.
• Knowledge of assay validation principles, including specificity, sensitivity, precision, robustness, controls, and quality systems.
• Laboratory experience with cell culture, control material generation, tissue processing, and orthogonal assay verification techniques such as flow cytometry and RNAscope.
• Familiarity with spatial biology and tissue imaging platforms such as CosMx, COMET, GeoMx, RNAscope, Akoya, 10x Genomics, or related technologies.
• Experience with digital pathology, image analysis, pathology scoring, and biomarker data interpretation.
• Experience managing CROs and external laboratory partnerships, including assay transfer, technical oversight, vendor management, and validation report review.
• Strong project management skills, including management of timelines, budgets, and cross-functional deliverables.
• Scientific curiosity and excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present findings to multidisciplinary teams and governance committees.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, matrixed research environment.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in Pathology, Immunology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field, with 2 or more years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience in oncology, immunology, autoimmune disease, cell therapy, gene therapy, or other advanced therapeutic areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy, design, development, optimization, qualification, validation, transfer, implementation, and lifecycle management of tissue-based biomarker assays, including IHC, ISH, multiplex immunofluorescence, spatial and digital pathology platforms.
• Lead assay feasibility studies, antibody characterization and selection, panel development, staining optimization, orthogonal specificity assessments, analytical validation, robustness studies, indication expansion, and development of novel pathology methodologies.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert for external laboratory partners, leading assay transfer, implementation, and lifecycle oversight; ensure assay performance, high-quality data, aligned study reportables, validation report review, and clinical implementation.
• Establish assay performance criteria, quality control measures, acceptance specifications, image analysis workflows, and data review processes; conduct studies supporting control material generation and assay verification.
• Partner with translational scientists to develop fit-for-purpose biomarker and pathology assay strategies aligned with translational hypotheses, mechanism-of-action investigations, exploratory endpoints, pharmacodynamic assessments, and safety monitoring.
• Collaborate with internal Pathology laboratories to develop and validate tissue-based assays, use preclinical data to guide assay strategy, enable clinically relevant translational endpoints, and support program-specific needs and portfolio-wide standardization.
• Interpret, analyze, and communicate assay validation data and scientific findings to multidisciplinary project teams and governance committees.
• Manage external collaborations and vendor relationships, including assay placement strategy, vendor selection, statements of work, sample sourcing, budgets, timelines, technical oversight, quality review, and issue resolution.
• Evaluate and implement emerging spatial and digital pathology technologies, including multiplex imaging, RNAscope, CosMx, COMET, digital pathology, and image analysis.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit plans, including wellbeing support, retirement and financial protection benefits, and medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance offerings.
• Flexible Time Off without a set accrual limit for eligible U.S.-based exempt employees, subject to manager approval.
• 11 paid company holidays each year.
• For eligible non-exempt employees, RayzeBio employees, and employees located in Puerto Rico: 160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires, subject to manager approval, 11 paid company holidays, and 3 optional holidays.
• Depending on eligibility, paid sick leave, up to two paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, and leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs.
• Eligible employees may receive an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
• Potential eligibility for additional discretionary incentive cash and stock opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior