Senior Scientist, Research

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments involving immunization strategies, antibody library generation, antibody engineering, and in vitro/in vivo characterization of antibody-antigen interactions.
• Provide scientific leadership on project-based team, advancing therapeutic programs from conception through pre-clinical studies.
• Effectively contributes to project strategy development by demonstrating a strong understanding of target biology and aligning experimental approaches with overall program goals.
• Independently and critically analyze scientific results, troubleshoot methods, and conceive creative solutions and workflows to address challenges.
• Document, analyze and interpret data for internal decision making, publications, presentations, patents and regulatory filings.
• Develop research plans and manage multiple workflows.
• Manage activities at contract research organizations (CROs).

Requirements

• A Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in Immunology, Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, or a related field, with a minimum of three years of post-graduate research experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience working with immune-related diseases, with a strong understanding of disease biology relevant to therapeutic development.
• Expertise in antibody discovery, including protein engineering, expression and purification, and automation of screening and characterization workflows.
• Skilled in designing and executing in vitro and in vivo studies to investigate disease biology and assess efficacy, PK, PD, and mechanism of action of drug candidates.
• Strong data analysis skills, with the ability to interpret complex experimental results and draw meaningful conclusions.
• Excellent scientific communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to clearly present data and concepts in meetings, reports, and publications.
• Self-motivated and capable of independent work in a laboratory setting, while also contributing effectively to collaborative team environments.

Qualifications

• Experience with antibody discovery platforms, such as phage display, yeast display, and next-generation sequencing (NGS), as well as antibody binding characterization techniques such as biolayer interferometry (BLI) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).
• Experience with flow cytometry (FACS) and a range of immunological techniques, such as ELISA, multiplex cytokine assays, and immune cell profiling.
• Experience with high-throughput automation technologies, such as a Tecan liquid handling robot.
• Prior experience managing early-career research scientists is required.

Benefits

Company Visterra is a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to developing innovative antibody-based therapies for the treatment of patients with kidney, immune-mediated and other hard-to-treat diseases. Our proprietary technology platform enables the design and engineering of precision antibody-based product candidates that specifically bind to, and modulate, key disease targets. Applying this technology to disease targets that are not adequately addressed by traditional therapeutic approaches, we are developing a robust pipeline of novel therapies for patients with unmet needs.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $150,000 per year.

Schedule

This is a full-time, on-site position located at Visterra’s headquarters in Waltham, MA.