Principal Scientist, Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery

About the role

Working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, transforming the lives of patients and the careers of those who do it. The Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center is one of BMS’s differentiated research platforms delivering innovative therapies to patients. Our mission is to drive leadership in the use of cellular therapies to harness the power of the immune system in treating hematologic malignancies, solid cancers, and autoimmune disease. The Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery team focuses on developing next-generation, engineered cell-based therapies.

This role is ideal for an innovative, established scientist who thrives on setting scientific direction and translating data into critical drug discovery decisions. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in immunology and cell therapy, with a strong track record of leading complex, multidisciplinary research programs from concept through preclinical development.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership and set strategic direction for research programs focused on the discovery and optimization of engineered CAR T and eTCR T cell therapies.
• Lead in vitro functional screening efforts focused on T cell cytotoxicity and effector function (e.g., cytokine production, proliferation, killing assays) to evaluate and optimize engineered T cell therapies, including logic-gated CAR T/eTCR T cell circuits.
• Design and optimize genetic constructs, including logic-gated and multi-input circuits, and gene delivery approaches (lentiviral, retroviral, AAV) to improve the potency, persistence, and safety of engineered T cell therapies.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and functional mentor, managing and developing junior scientists and providing scientific guidance across project teams.
• Support translation of in vitro functional data into in vivo xenograft studies to evaluate CAR T/eTCR T cell efficacy and inform go/no-go decisions.
• Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary collaborations across wet lab, computational, and clinical functions, including across multiple sites, to drive functional screening and validation efforts.
• Drive go/no-go decision-making and represent research strategy and data to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Contribute to IND-enabling study reports, patent applications, and peer-reviewed publications, and maintain rigorous, timely documentation (electronic notebooks) to support project milestones and regulatory/patent filings.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and 8+ years of academic and/or industry experience, or
• Master’s Degree and 6+ years of academic and/or industry experience, or
• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences and 4+ years of academic and/or industry experience.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline and 4+ years of postdoctoral and/or industry research experience, including demonstrated leadership of independent research programs, or
• Master's Degree in a related discipline and 6+ years of relevant industry research experience, including demonstrated leadership of independent research programs.
• Extensive experience designing and executing in vitro functional T cell assays (e.g., cytotoxicity, cytokine production, proliferation) to evaluate and optimize engineered T cell therapies.
• Deep expertise in gene delivery methods (lentiviral, retroviral, AAV) and genetic construct design/optimization for engineered cell therapies, including logic-gated or multi-input circuit design.
• Experience with in vivo xenograft models to evaluate CAR T/eTCR T cell efficacy and translate in vitro findings into preclinical proof-of-concept (a plus).
• Track record of leading multidisciplinary project teams across wet lab, computational, and clinical collaborators, including across multiple sites.
• Experience mentoring and managing direct reports, including providing scientific and career development guidance.
• Experience leading complex, matrixed cell therapy programs, including endorsement of key drug development milestones.
• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications and/or patents in immunology, cell therapy, or a related field.
• Proficiency in multi-color flow cytometry, functional cytotoxicity/cytokine assays, and other relevant immune cell characterization methods.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques including genetic construct design, cloning strategies (e.g., Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate), and pooled library generation for genetic screening.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to set scientific direction and drive go/no-go decisions in a fast-paced, collaborative drug discovery environment.
• Advanced, expert-level knowledge of the principles and concepts of biological sciences, immunology, bioengineering, or a related discipline.
• Expertise in emerging technologies in immunology and cell therapy, such as HT imaging, CRISPR screens (a plus).
• Expertise in utilization of AI in scientific discovery and general workflows (a plus).
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.

Pay

Seattle, WA: $152,360 - $184,628 (starting compensation range for a full-time employee). Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience.

Benefits

• Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care.
• Wellbeing Support: Programs such as BMS Well-Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).
• Financial Well-being and Protection: 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection, personal liability protection, identity theft benefit, legal support, and survivor support.
• Work-life Benefits:
  • Paid Time Off (U.S. Exempt Employees): Flexible time off (unlimited, with manager approval), 11 paid national holidays (not applicable to employees in Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico, or Rayzebio).
  • Paid Time Off (Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico, and Rayzebio Exempt, Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees): 160 hours annual paid vacation for new hires with manager approval, 11 national holidays, and 3 optional holidays.
  • Additional time off for employees may include unlimited paid sick time, up to 2 paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military needs, and an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

All global employees (full and part-time) who are actively employed at and paid directly by BMS at the end of the calendar year are eligible to take advantage of the Global Shutdown.