Principal Scientist, Protein Design

About 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• 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.

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.

Benefits

At Moderna, we offer best-in-class healthcare coverage, family planning benefits, generous paid time off, savings and investment opportunities, and location-specific perks and extras. We also provide a competitive salary range of $142,500.00 - $256,500.00, with the possibility of an annual discretionary bonus and equity awards. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants.

Pay & Benefits

The salary range for this role is $142,500.00 - $256,500.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world. By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.