Associate Director – SeaBridge

About the role

The Allen Institute accelerates science for a healthier world through large-scale research designed to answer some of the most complex questions in biology. Our multi-disciplinary teams generate foundational knowledge, tools, and data to understand how our brain, cells, and immune system work. We share our work openly so others can build on it, move faster, and ask bigger questions. We drive discovery forward and create new possibilities for improving human health.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and advancement of an allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy platform based on iPSC-derived T cells
• Develop and apply genome engineering and synthetic biology strategies to improve therapeutic potency, persistence, safety, and overall product performance
• Build, optimize, and scale iPSC engineering, maintenance, and differentiation workflows to support platform and product development
• Design and execute studies to generate, characterize, and evaluate engineered cell products across molecular, phenotypic, and functional readouts
• Advance platform innovation through thoughtful experimental design, rigorous data interpretation, and iterative optimization
• Partner closely with cross-functional colleagues to support the translational advancement of engineered cell therapy programs

Requirements

We are looking for someone with deep expertise in human iPSC culture, differentiation, synthetic biology, and genome engineering. You will develop robust platforms to derive and engineer iPSC-derived T-cell products and build next-generation control systems that integrate genome editing, signal-responsive recording, and state-dependent actuation to enhance therapeutic potency, persistence, and safety.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant life sciences or engineering discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 5+ years of relevant postdoctoral and/or industry experience in immune cell engineering, stem cell engineering, synthetic biology, translational research, or a related field
• Experience with mammalian genome engineering and synthetic regulatory system design

Skills

• Experience with human iPSC engineering and differentiation, ideally toward immune cell lineages
• Experience with primary and/or iPSC-derived T-cell engineering; allogeneic platform experience is a plus
• CAR design, optimization, and multiplexed engineering (e.g., transgene-encoded synthetic outputs, small-molecule-regulated CAR activity)
• CRISPR/Cas9 and Cas12b gene editing, plus protein engineering (site-directed/error-prone mutagenesis)
• Familiarity with viral and non-viral cell engineering methods
• Cellular/molecular assay development, qualification, and tech transfer (ddPCR, cytotoxicity, flow-based potency assays) for internal use and external partner handoff
• Experience with sequencing-based analysis, immune phenotyping, and quantitative evaluation of engineered systems

Benefits

• Annualized Salary Range: $167,850 - $209,750
• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance
• Allen Institutes 401k plan
• Paid time off as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide
• Details on the Allen Institutes benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits