Principal Research Scientist I, In Vitro Preclinical Development

About the role

The Principal Research Scientist I, In Vitro Preclinical, will lead the design and development of innovative CAR T-cell therapies advancing mRNA-tLNP pipeline programs from early discovery through IND-enabling studies, focusing on oncology and autoimmune diseases.

Responsibilities

• Effectively function as a Principal Investigator within the In Vitro Preclinical Team, developing and implementing original research and development strategies for innovative in vivo CAR T-cell therapies.
• Demonstrate creative 'out of the box' thinking to solve difficult problems and champion new technologies to achieve project goals.
• Collaborate with Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine stakeholders to address key CAR-T therapeutic challenges in mRNA-tLNPs through preclinical composition design.
• Serves as the organizational SME in next-generation cell therapy engineering, with deep command of synthetic receptor architecture and functional signaling biology, and the ability to rapidly synthesize the evolving scientific and intellectual property landscape into high-impact therapeutic programs.
• Oversee CAR-T project execution from inception through preclinical stages, ensuring alignment with therapeutic hypotheses, available datasets, and the competitive landscape.
• Generate new scientific proposals and lead those efforts.
• Anticipate and critically evaluate scientific or regulatory advances or competitive threats and respond with appropriate new strategies.
• Represent project teams by communicating scientific strategy, progress, and risk assessment to stakeholders.
• Primary author of publications, presentations, regulatory documents and/or primary inventor of patents.
• Present at leading scientific conferences.
• Enhance AbbVie’s reputation by presenting research findings and innovative ideas to stakeholders and collaborators.
• Mentor/supervise a team of one or more and evaluate the performance of those individuals; is accountable for the effective performance of the team/individuals.

Qualifications

• BS or equivalent education and extensive with typically 14+ years of experience; MS or equivalent education with typically 12+ years of experience; PhD with typically 6+ years of experience in CAR T-cell or immunotherapeutic field
• Deep subject matter expertise in CAR-T biology, including genetic medicine approaches, novel biological systems, and assay development for candidate generation and assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to function as a principal investigator, generating original technical ideas and research or development strategies.
• Demonstrate creative 'out of the box' thinking to solve difficult technical problems and champion new technologies to achieve project goals.
• Experienced and demonstrated success as primary author of publications, presentations, regulatory documents and/or primary inventor of patents.
• Demonstrated scientific communication and presentation skills by presenting at leading scientific conferences.
• Exceptional project management and multitasking skills; adept at setting and managing timelines for self and team.
• Proactive ownership of challenges, commitment to finding innovative solutions, and a drive to go beyond the status quo.
• Extensive experience in assay development and leading preclinical cell therapy research teams, preferably experienced with in situ/in vivo delivery platforms for CAR-T therapies.
• Demonstrated proficiency in T cell biology, immuno-oncology, flow cytometry, and functional assay design.