Summary
This individual will play a key role in drug discovery programs by conceiving, developing, and implementing assays to support the discovery and validation of therapeutic antibody candidates. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team player, an effective manager, a critical thinker, and a clear communicator. The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in immunology, biology, biochemistry, or a related field, along with a minimum of 3 years of post-graduate research experience in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting. Prior experience managing early-career research scientists is required.
This is a full-time, on-site position located at Visterra's headquarters in Waltham, MA.
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 and
- Manage activities at contract research organizations (CROs).
- Maintain expertise in the field by staying current to relevant literature and attending relevant conferences.
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.
Other 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.
- A proven track record of working in a dynamic team of scientists, early-career research associates
