Principal Scientist, Protein Design

The Role

Moderna is seeking an individual to provide technical leadership for in vitro selection and cell-surface screening of viral and bacterial antigens. This role will lead the design, execution, and continuous advancement of high-throughput mammalian cell–based screening platforms that interrogate broadly applicable design principles for glycoprotein antigens, enabling antigen optimization, improved expression and durability across multiple programs, and rapid maturation of computationally designed candidates.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Lead execution of in vitro selection and cell-surface screening campaigns, providing technical leadership through direct involvement in experimental design and execution.
• Design and run high-throughput mammalian display campaigns for complex, multimeric glycoproteins.
• Build and deploy scalable screening systems that replace resource-intensive plate-based assays.
• Develop and operationalize advanced in vitro selection and directed-evolution capabilities, including novel selection pressures and expanded mammalian display modalities.
• Serve as a key experimental partner to computational protein design teams, generating high-quality datasets and actionable design feedback.
• Provide technical mentorship and scientific guidance to other scientists.
• Represent in vitro selection capabilities in cross-functional discovery and platform discussions.
• Mentor and technically guide junior scientists to elevate overall design quality.

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

• PhD in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Protein Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of post-PhD industry or equivalent experience leading in vitro selection, mammalian cell-surface display, or directed-evolution efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to drive complex screening campaigns end-to-end.
• Deep expertise in mammalian display systems, high-throughput selection strategies, and experimental assay design.
• Strong working knowledge of computational, structure-based, or AI-driven protein design workflows.
• Scientific independence, judgment, and ownership consistent with a Principal Scientist role.

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

• Expertise with glycoprotein antigen expression and engineering (e.g., strategies around folding, trafficking, cleavage, stability, and glycan impacts).
• Strong capabilities in library design and construction (site-saturation, combinatorial, error-prone, DNA assembly), plus NGS-based readouts and quantitative enrichment analysis.
• A desire to make an impact as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.