Scientist/Sr. Scientist (Advisor) - mRNA Process Development

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Position Summary :

Highly motivated and creative scientist who will help build the company’s mRNA production and mRNA technology exploration platform.

The successful candidate will support R&D efforts within the company, initially as an individual contributor and in the future as a small team lead, focused on pre-clinical mRNA production and exploration of therapeutic mRNA optimization strategies.

A deep technical background in mRNA biochemistry, mRNA synthesis, and mRNA purification are required. Strong organizational and communication skills, creative problem-solving, and flexibility are essential.

Job responsibilities :

• Lead process development projects to establish mRNA production capabilities at research to pre-clinical scales.
• Produce RNA samples to support internal and external collaborations.
• Design and perform routine biochemistry experiments, including in vitro transcription, purification, quality evaluation, etc.
• Collaborate with CMC and production teams to harmonize pre-clinical and clinical grade production technology and quality metrics.
• Develop and utilize strategies to synthesize and modify RNA molecules to achieve desired properties.
• Lead projects to develop design, construct, and evaluate mRNA therapeutics.
• Contribute to projects directly at the bench and later by leading one or more Research Associates.
• Clearly communicate results and recommendations to collaborators, colleagues, managers, and senior management, leading project decision-making.
• Contribute to the company’s intellectual property portfolio by generating new ideas, recommending technical strategy, reading broadly in relevant fields, and diligently maintaining organized records.

Basic Qualifications :

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or related discipline with 2+ years of academic or pharmaceutical industry experience in mRNA process development (can include post-doc experience).

Additional skills / preferences :

• Mastery of therapeutic mRNA in vitro transcription and purification techniques is required.
• Expertise with characterization of mRNA molecules using state-of-the-art techniques is required.
• Expertise with different approaches for RNA modification and their application in mRNA therapeutics is required.
• Experience and understanding of technical challenges with mRNA as a therapeutic modality is required. Experience with several mRNA modalities (linear mRNA, saRNA, circRNA, etc.) is an advantage.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills are required, as well as the ability to work both independently and in a collaborative work environment.
• User-level experience with automated liquid handlers is a plus.
• Familiarity with NGS approaches for RNA / DNA characterization is a plus.
• Familiarity with Design-of-Experiments (DOE) is a plus.
• Relevant publication record in academic and / or patent literature is a plus.

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