Sr. Scientist, Protein & Cell Sciences

Flagship Pioneering•Somerville, MA

About The Position

Metaphore Biotechnologies is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join its Protein Sciences team within Research and Discovery. The role focuses on protein expression, purification, and analytical characterization to support platform development and therapeutic discovery programs. The scientist will run and continually optimize workflows that turn computationally designed antibodies into well-characterized, developable therapeutic proteins, combining protein biochemistry and antibody purification expertise with the company’s generative AI drug-design platform. The successful candidate will bring hands-on experience with mammalian expression systems, protein biochemistry, and assay development, and will work independently while collaborating across a multidisciplinary team. The role includes mentoring junior team members and serving as a subject matter expert in recombinant protein production and protein stability metrics.

Requirements

PhD, or a BS/MS degree with an equivalent level of experience, in protein biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering, structural biology, analytical chemistry, or a related field.
At least 5 years of industry experience.
Experience producing, purifying, and analytically characterizing proteins in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting, including regular recurring weekly production of milligram-to-gram quantities.
Strong hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and transient transfection.
Proficiency with protein purification systems, including FPLCs and autosamplers, and analytical systems, including UHPLCs, for assessing protein quality and function.
Experience with biophysical characterization methods such as BLI, SPR, DSF, DLS, or related approaches.
Ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and optimize experiments.
Strong organizational skills, scientific rigor, written and verbal communication skills, and a record of establishing robust systems.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with antibody discovery workflows and biologics development.
Experience with automated multi-step midscale purification.
Experience producing proteins from linear DNA templates.
Experience with bispecific and multispecific antibody formats.
Experience managing direct reports or mentoring junior scientists.
Familiarity with data capture systems and structured documentation practices.
Exposure to assay development and validation for discovery or translational applications.

Responsibilities

Design and execute recombinant protein production workflows, including transient mammalian expression, purification, and quality assessment.
Contribute to designing, executing, and troubleshooting experiments that improve throughput, reproducibility, and data quality.
Partner with Antibody Discovery, Antibody Engineering, Computational Biology, and other cross-functional teams to support integrated project execution.
Mentor junior team members and serve as a company subject matter expert in recombinant production and protein stability metrics.
Establish and maintain strong documentation practices, experimental rigor, and reproducible workflows.
Prepare study reports, summarize data, and clearly present results to internal stakeholders.
Support continuous improvement of laboratory operations, including adopting new methods, tools, and workflows as needed.