Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, saRNA Biology

About the role

The Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a unique training opportunity for early-career scientists. As a Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, you will join Discovery Sciences in Cambridge to pursue an innovative research project in biomedical science and drug discovery.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute an independent research program focused on understanding small activating RNA (saRNA)-mediated gene activation and developing improved saRNA design principles.
• Design, prioritize, and evaluate saRNA libraries targeting a therapeutically relevant model gene.
• Audit saRNA activity in cellular systems using molecular and biochemical assays.
• Identify features associated with functional versus non-functional saRNAs and productive gene activation.
• Conduct mechanistic studies to elucidate the molecular basis of saRNA-mediated transcriptional activation.
• Evaluate the translatability of saRNA activity across cell-based and physiologically relevant model systems.
• Assess the generalizability of mechanistic insights and design principles across multiple gene targets.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams spanning RNA biology, genomics, oligonucleotide therapeutics, and drug discovery.
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate complex datasets to diverse scientific audiences.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present research at internal and external scientific meetings.

Requirements

• PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in molecular biology, genomics, biochemistry, chemical biology, or a related scientific discipline completed prior to the fellowship start date.
• Strong commitment to learning, innovation, and professional development.
• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology assays such as qPCR, Western blotting, RNA knockdown or perturbation approaches, reporter assays, or related methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present scientific findings clearly to both specialized and cross-functional audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment while also driving an independent research project.

Qualifications

• Experience with one or more mechanistic genomics or chromatin-based approaches, such as Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE), RNA-seq, or analysis of promoter-associated noncoding transcripts.
• Familiarity with computational biology and bioinformatics approaches for analyzing transcriptomic, epigenomic, or sequencing datasets, and integrating multi-modal data to generate biological hypotheses.

Skills

• Strong experimental background in RNA biology, gene regulation, transcriptional control, epigenetics, oligonucleotide therapeutics, or related areas.
• Ability to design rigorous experiments, troubleshoot complex biological systems, and interpret data in a hypothesis-driven manner.

Benefits

• Starting salary: 87,000 USD per year.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits.
• Generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

Pay

The starting salary for this position is 87,000 USD per year.

Schedule

This is a full-time training position of up to three years in duration.