Principal Associate Scientist-Scientist-Immunology

Prellis Biologics, Inc.; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

Prellis Biologics is seeking an immunologist to advance our ex vivo immune system platform by studying human donor biology and lymph node organoid models. The role involves designing and executing in vitro assays and contributing to biomolecular engineering of antibody responses.

You will work across disciplines, perform data-heavy analyses, and remain hands-on in the lab most of the time to push donor selection and process development forward in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc with relevant industry or postdoc experience.
• Deep knowledge of adaptive immunology and B/T cell biology.
• Strong understanding of antibody discovery workflows.
• Expertise in experimental design, data analysis, and interpreting complex immunological data.
• Extensive immunology lab experience including flow cytometry.
• Proficiency in primary cell isolation and in vitro assay development.

Responsibilities

• Illuminate the role of human blood donor biology on the ex vivo immunization system.
• Analyze immunological data including RNA-seq, BCR/TCR, and monoclonal antibodies to identify high-potential donors.
• Lead donor blood purchasing, inventory, experimental assignment, and data collection.
• Establish and employ novel techniques to characterize immune cell responses.
• Contribute to development of ex vivo immune processes and donor selection.
• Support ex vivo cell culture workflows as needed.
• Be hands-on in the lab 60–80% of the time.

Skills

Adaptive immunology

B/T cell biology

Antibody discovery

Flow cytometry

Cell isolation & culture

In vitro assay development

FlowJo

GraphPad Prism

Education

PhD in immunology, cell biology, or related

MSc in immunology, cell biology, or related

Tools

FlowJo

GraphPad Prism

Job description

Principal Associate Scientist / Scientist - Immunology (Donor Biology)

Company Overview

PrellisBiologics is a dynamic startup revolutionizing immunology. We develop cutting-edge technologies to unlock the immune system's potential and drive innovation in therapeutic development.

Position Overview

We're seeking an enthusiastic and talented immunologist to play a pivotal role in advancing our groundbreaking ex vivo immune system platform. You'll collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary team to develop innovative lymph node organoids, design and execute impactful in vitro assays, and contribute your expertise to in vitro immune process development and antigen/antibody biomolecular engineering.

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively across teams to illuminate the role of human blood donor biology on the responsiveness in Prellis’ ex vivo immunization system
• Independently analyze and evaluate data including but not limited to immunological population dynamics, mRNA seq data, BCR sequence data, TCR sequence data, as well as monoclonal antibody characteristics to identify human blood donors with high potential of success in Prellis’ ex vivo immunization system.
• Lead human donor blood purchasing, inventory, experimental assignment, and data collection efforts.
• Establish and employ novel techniques to characterize immune cell responses.
• Leverage your knowledge in immunology, cell biology, and molecular biology to contribute intellectually to the development of ex vivo immune processes, antibody responses and to facilitate donor selection.
• Support ex vivo cell culture workflows on occasion.
• Be hands‑on in the lab (60‑80% of the time) and thrive in a fast‑paced environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in immunology, cell biology, or a closely related field with 1+ years of relevant industry and/or postdoc experience. MSc in immunology, cell biology, or a closely related field with 4+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Deep knowledge of adaptive immunology, in particular B and T cell biology and cell‑cell interactions.
• Strong understanding of antibody discovery workflows
• Expertise in experimental design, data analysis, and interpreting complex immunological data sets.
• Extensive immunology lab experience, including flow cytometry (panel design, data acquisition, analysis, troubleshooting).
• Proficiency in primary cell isolation and culture, and in vitro assay development/execution.

Skills & Experience (Preferred)

• Knowledge of immune tolerance, vaccine development, and systems immunology.
• Project management expertise.
• Experience with bioinformatic analysis of proteins and sequences.
• Familiarity with molecular biology techniques.
• Experience developing and implementing laboratory systems.
• Proficiency in FlowJo, and GraphPad Prism software.

About Prellis Biologics

At Prellis we integrate human biology with machine learning. We aim to revolutionize drug discovery by harnessing the power of human immune system with tightly, integrated machine learning to develop next‑generation antibody therapeutics with unparalleled speed, precision and safety. We are committed to empowering our pharmaceutical partners with access to the most promising fully human body candidate rapidly identified from the human immune repertoire, enabling them to bring life‑changing treatments to patients faster than ever before. Prellis Biologics is a pre‑IPO biotech located in Berkeley CA with a team‑oriented, inclusive, and family‑friendly culture. Our growing pipeline targets high unmet patient needs across therapeutics including metabolic, inflammation, and oncology disease. Prellis has raised funding from top investors, including Celesta, Khosla Ventures, SOSV, & Avidity Partners.

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well‑being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.

$130,000 - $169,000

Equal Opportunity Statement

Prellis Bio is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams – grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences – and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth‑oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.