Principal Scientist, Computational Protein Design

The Role

Moderna is seeking a candidate to support protein design for vaccines and biologics across the mRNA pipeline. This is a hands-on scientific role for an experienced designer with deep understanding of protein structure, binding interfaces, and computational design methods and workflows, and track record of producing designs that are validated in vitro and in vivo. The candidate should be motivated by solving challenging biological problems.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Serve as the computational protein design lead for vaccine and biologics programs, owning design strategy and technical decision-making.
• Design antigens, binders, and antibodies using state-of-the-art design approaches.
• Partner closely with experimental teams by interpreting data from in vitro selection and screening efforts to drive iterative design cycles.
• Provide design guidance on library construction, mutational strategies, and hypothesis testing.
• Mentor and technically guide junior designers to elevate overall design quality.
• Contribute to cross-functional program strategy discussions.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Basic Qualifications)

• PhD in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Computational Biology, or a related field and 5+ years of experience.
• Extensive post-PhD experience consistent with a Principal Scientist-level role in computational protein design.
• Proven track record of owning and delivering designs for vaccines, antibodies, or biologics.
• Deep expertise in structure-based protein and interface design.
• Ability to mentor, review, and elevate the work of other designers.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)

• Minimal coding expertise in python or similar language.
• Experience with specific structure-based design tools: Rosetta and ProteinMPNN.