Principal Scientist, Animal Genetic Engineering - Antibody Discovery

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity.

About the role

We are searching for an innovative, hands-on Principal Scientist, Animal Genetic Engineering – Antibody Discovery to be based in Cambridge, MA or Spring House, PA. This role sits at the intersection of mouse genetic engineering, B cell biology, and therapeutic antibody discovery, and contributes across the full arc of in vivo model innovation – from concept and proposal, through externally executed engineering, to in-house validation within our antibody discovery platform.

This role will combine expertise in mouse genetics, CRISPR genome engineering, B cell immunology, and antibody discovery to establish next-generation platforms for challenging therapeutic targets where conventional antigen-bait approaches are limited. A deep understanding of B cell biology and the humoral immune response is central to this position. The successful candidate will apply that expertise to rationally engineer the mouse humoral system – for example, to broaden the antibody repertoire, break tolerance to conserved self-antigens, and improve the quality and diversity of B cell responses against difficult antigens, enables B cell identification without antigen labeling, and recover conformational and membrane-dependent binders often missed by bait-based sorting.

Responsibilities

• Strategy & Proposal Development: Identify and prioritize opportunities where genetic engineering of wild-type or transgenic mouse models can improve antibody discovery outcomes, enabling B cell identification without antigen labeling for difficult targets such as membrane proteins, GPCRs, and other low-immunogenicity or highly conserved antigens. Develop the scientific rationale, draft detailed engineering and study plans, and secure endorsement from leadership and relevant governance bodies.
• Animal Engineering via CRO Partnership: Partner with and scientifically manage external CROs to execute animal engineering work, including targeting/construct design, genome editing (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9), founder generation, and colony establishment. Serve as the primary scientific and technical point of contact, ensuring deliverables meet quality standards, timelines, and design intent.
• Testing & Validation: Design and execute studies to test and validate engineered animals within the antibody discovery workflow enabling B cell identification without antigen labeling and benchmark activation-based sorting against conventional antigen-bait approaches using diversity, affinity, specificity, functionality, and developability metrics.
• Technical Innovation & B Cell Engineering: Stay at the forefront of transgenic and genome-engineering technologies, B cell biology, and in vivo antibody discovery. Evaluate and integrate new approaches (e.g., humanized immunoglobulin loci, alternative genetic backgrounds, and tolerance-breaking or antigen-presentation strategies) that shape B cell development, repertoire, and the germinal-center response to overcome the challenges associated with recoveries of conformational and membrane-dependent binders often missed by bait-based sorting.
• Cross-Functional Portfolio Support: Lead the design of immunogens and immunization strategies, evaluate germinal center responses, and assess immune response quality to drive successful antibody discovery campaigns.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with antibody discovery, protein sciences, immunology, and therapeutic area teams to ensure model design aligns with downstream discovery, developability, and pharmacology needs.
• Data Analysis & Communication: Rigorously analyze and interpret data, maintain high-quality records, and clearly communicate strategy, progress, and results to leadership and stakeholders to enable data-driven decisions.
• Compliance & Animal Welfare: Ensure all in vivo work – internal and at CROs – is designed and conducted in accordance with IACUC requirements, applicable regulations, and the highest standards of animal welfare and the 3Rs.
• External Engagement: Monitor the external landscape, evaluate emerging technologies and potential partners/CROs, and represent the company in relevant scientific interactions to bring innovation into the organization.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Immunology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Developmental Biology, Biochemistry, or Bioengineering), typically with 3+ years of relevant post-graduate experience in academia and/or industry.
• Strong expertise in B cell biology, including germinal center responses, class switching, antibody affinity maturation and class switching, immunoglobulin genetics, and immune tolerance memory B cell biology, and plasma cell differentiation.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in mouse genetic engineering, including one or more of the following: transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, knock-in/knock-out generation, humanized model design, targeting-vector/construct design, and colony breeding/management.
• Experience with antibody discovery workflows – including immunization and immunogen strategy, in vivo immune responses, and hybridoma, B-cell, or single-B-cell technologies. Direct experience of antibody discovery against challenging targets (membrane proteins, GPCRs, ion channels) is highly desirable.
• Hands-on proficiency with immune-characterization methods such as flow cytometry/FACS, B cell sorting, ELISA, and ELISpot.
• Experience designing scientific proposals and study plans and gaining alignment or endorsement from senior scientists, leadership, or governance bodies.
• Experience managing or collaborating with external partners/CROs for in vivo or engineering work, including oversight of quality, timelines, and deliverables, is preferred.
• Understanding of IACUC processes, animal welfare regulations, and the 3Rs.
• Strong problem-solving, experimental design, and data-analysis skills, with the ability to work independently and drive projects to completion.

Leadership Requirements

• Independently lead platform development programs from concept through implementation.
• Develop scientific strategy, experimental plans, and validation frameworks.
• Communicate findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to a highly collaborative research environment.
• Translate emerging technologies and scientific advances into scalable discovery platforms.

Pay

The anticipated base pay range for this position is $117,000.00 - $201,250.00.

Benefits

• Retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k))
• Long-term incentive program
• Vacation – 120 hours per calendar year
• Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado – 48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington – 56 hours per calendar year
• Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays – 13 days per calendar year
• Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
• Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child
• Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member; 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
• Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period
• 10 days Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
• Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year