Principal Scientist, Inflammation

What You Will Do

In this vital role you will lead discovery and translational biology efforts for a novel immune-targeting therapeutic platform focused on selective modulation of pathogenic immune-cell populations in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. This role will emphasize in vitro and ex vivo immune cell-assay development, mechanistic characterization and in vivo translational pharmacology to support candidate advancement. You will play a central role in defining the experimental and translational framework required to translate early platform concepts into therapeutic candidates capable of delivering robust and durable immune pharmacology.

• Lead in vitro and ex vivo biological strategy for a next-generation immune-targeting therapeutic platform, establishing experimental approaches to evaluate immune effector activity and target cell elimination in relevant in vitro and preclinical models.
• Design and execute in vivo studies evaluating lymphocyte-mediated target cell depletion, immune pharmacology, and durability of therapeutic responses in mouse models of inflammatory disease.
• Develop and optimize in vitro and ex vivo functional immune-cell assays, including co-culture systems, cytotoxicity or target-cell modulation assays and readouts of immune-cell activation, expansion, persistence, target engagement and pharmacodynamic response.
• Build translational biology capabilities including immune cell profiling, biodistribution studies, and pharmacodynamic biomarker development to support candidate optimization.
• Integrate in vitro and in vivo datasets to generate mechanistic insights that inform platform optimization and candidate selection.
• Advance lead therapeutic candidates toward development by delivering preclinical efficacy and mechanistic datasets supporting program progression.
• Collaborate with discovery biology, protein engineering, delivery sciences, in vivo pharmacology and translational safety to design, perform, and analyze laboratory experiments encompassing in vitro, ex vivo, in silico, and in vivo methodologies.
• Serve as key scientific contributor on cross-functional project teams by synthesizing data, presenting conclusions, documenting results and communicating recommendations to internal and external scientific audiences.
• Exhibit excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills, produce reliable and reproducible results, multitask efficiently, and coordinate multiple projects confidently.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctorate degree PhD OR PharmD OR MD [and relevant post-doc where applicable] and 2 years of experience in drug discovery or academic settings OR
• Masters degree and 5 years of experience in drug discovery or academic settings OR
• Bachelors degree and 7 years of experience in drug discovery or academic settings experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Research Experience: PhD with deep expertise in lymphocyte biology and immune effector mechanisms and over 5 years of experience in immunology-related research in industry or academic settings.
• Scientific Contributions: Demonstrated track record of independent scientific contributions in immunology, as evidenced by publications in high-impact journals.
• Technical Skills: Strong expertise in in vitro and ex vivo immunology, including primary immune-cell assays, co-culture systems, immune mediated cytotoxicity or target cell depletion assays, and high parameter flow cytometry. Experience characterizing lymphocyte activation states, effector function, persistence, target engagement and pharmacodynamic responses is highly desirable. Experience with preclinical mouse models of immune-mediated target-cell modulation. Familiarity with small and large molecule drug discovery, mechanism of action studies, ELISA, MSD, and flow cytometry-based immune cell profiling, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq), CRISPR/Cas9, and omics data analysis experience a plus.
• Collaborative Skills: Proven ability to work effectively in team environments with strong documentation and laboratory management skills. Excellent written and oral communication skills to clearly articulate scientific proposals and results, lead discussions, and make presentations in multidisciplinary meetings.
• Innovative Thinking: A creative and innovative approach to identify and validate novel targets and therapeutic approaches. This includes staying abreast of current trends, literature, and new developments in pre-clinical and clinical development.