Scientist I/II, Protein Analytics and Bioconjugation

The Company

Flagship Labs 95, Inc. (FL95) is transforming the impact, breadth, and scalability of programmable medicines with a novel class of noncanonical viral vectors.

FL95 is a well-funded, early-stage biotechnology company founded by Flagship Pioneering, an organization dedicated to the origination and development of first-in-category life sciences companies.  Since 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $20+ billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.

The Role:

We are seeking a Scientist I/II, Protein analytics & bioconjugation to join us in building a novel discovery and development platform for noncanonical viral vector-based programmable medicines. This is a rare and unique opportunity to be an early employee of a cutting-edge biotech startup. This candidate will be responsible for driving forward research and experimental work in and outside of the lab to generate decisive data packages that advance the company and platform development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and lead short- and long-term research strategy for the characterization and modification of a novel category of proteins
• Drive scientific and R&D efforts by designing and conducting experiments to high scientific rigor.
• Support the implementation of novel research assays, tools, and operational tasks in and out of the lab.
• Prepare and deliver decision-enabling research data packages to leadership team
• Supervise and train junior research associate(s)

Who you are:

• Entrepreneurial scientist: You are a deep scientific expert in protein biochemistry, virology, or programmable medicines but academia was too slow for you. You have an unquenchable entrepreneurial spirit to build something new that will create huge impact for the world.
• Relentless Pioneer: You thrive in new and unknown territory – capable of charting comprehensive but actionable plans, executing rapidly and iteratively to make progress, and reliable in delivering decisive readouts on time.
• Team player: You flourish in collaborative work environments with other highly-skilled individuals. You readily celebrate your peers’ victories and support their challenges.
• Effective communicator: You not only understand the science but are capable of conveying technical information in a clear, concise, and decisive manner.

Basic Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or M.Sc. in biochemistry, biophysics, virology, or related field.
• 0-3+ y of industry experience in biotech or pharma companies, with a preference for experience with self-assembling protein complexes. Post-doctoral research experience is also acceptable so long as your field is highly relevant.
• Experience with macromolecular analytical method development is a must, ideally for analysis of molecular complexes
• Deep fundamental and technical expertise that is required:
  • Dialysis and TFF
  • Standard protein analytics to include: SDS-PAGE, ELISA/MSD, Western analysis, DLS, BLI/SPR, HPLC etc.
  • Bioconjugation strategy design and execution (NHS ester chemistry, Cu-dependent/independent click chemistry, etc.)
• Other technical expertise that is considered highly desirable:
  • Flow cytometry/Luminex.
  • Interpretation of MALDI-, ESI-, GC-TOF MS and MS/MS datasets.
  • Handling and modulation of virus-like particles (VLPs), viral capsids, and/or self-assembling nanoparticles.
• Experience collaborating with and guiding CROs on out-sourced projects highly desirable.

Location: Cambridge, MA

More About Flagship Pioneering

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life science platform companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has, through its Flagship Labs unit, applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $100 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship has deployed over $3.1 billion in capital toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside more than $19 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises  transformative companies, including  Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Sana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), Axcella Health (NASDAQ: AXLA), Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Indigo Ag, Generate Biomedicines, Tessera Tx, and others.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. 

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.