Principal Scientist, Antibody Discovery and Engineering

BioSpace; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

Moderna is seeking a Principal Scientist to join the Antibody Discovery team within Therapeutics Research. You will lead discovery campaigns from concept to nomination, guiding strategies across target evaluation, immunization design, B cell screening, and display‑based engineering.

You will oversee antibody generation across IgG, Fab, scFv and multispecific formats, and characterize candidates using binding and developability assays, mentoring scientists and coordinating CRO work.

Qualifications

• PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or related field with 5+ years post‑doc/industry.
• Proven leadership of therapeutic antibody discovery campaigns from concept through nomination.
• Deep expertise in antibody biology, structure, platforms, and optimization.
• Hands‑on experience with immunization‑based discovery, B cell methods, and repertoire analysis.
• Experience managing outsourced discovery and CRO collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated antibody discovery and engineering campaigns from concept to lead nomination.
• Develop strategies for target evaluation, immunization design, and data‑driven lead selection.
• Oversee antibody generation workflows: immunizations, display campaigns, maturation, humanization, and formatting.
• Characterize antibodies across formats and run developability and binding assays.
• Mentor scientists, manage external partners, and present findings to leadership.

Skills

Antibody discovery

Antibody engineering

Project leadership

B cell screening

Immunization design

Display technologies

Molecular biology

Data analysis

Team mentoring

Education

PhD in immunology

Tools

Biacore

Carterra

Octet

Job description

The Role

Moderna is seeking an accomplished and highly motivated Principal Scientist to join the Antibody Discovery team within Therapeutics Research. Therapeutics Research generates innovative therapeutic concepts and advances them from early scientific idea through First-in-Human studies. The Antibody Discovery team plays a central role in discovering, engineering, and optimizing antibody-based therapeutic molecules that enable new treatment strategies across Moderna's therapeutic pipeline.

The Role

Moderna is seeking an accomplished and highly motivated Principal Scientist to join the Antibody Discovery team within Therapeutics Research. Therapeutics Research generates innovative therapeutic concepts and advances them from early scientific idea through First-in-Human studies. The Antibody Discovery team plays a central role in discovering, engineering, and optimizing antibody-based therapeutic molecules that enable new treatment strategies across Moderna's therapeutic pipeline.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Lead integrated antibody discovery and engineering campaigns from early concept through lead identification, optimization, and nomination.
• Develop discovery strategies that incorporate target and antigen evaluation, immunization design, B cell screening, display-based engineering, sequence analysis, and data-driven lead selection.
• Design, execute, and oversee antibody generation and optimization workflows, including immunizations, B cell discovery, yeast or other display campaigns, affinity maturation, humanization, format conversion, expression, purification, and characterization.
• Engineer and evaluate antibodies across multiple therapeutic formats, including IgG, Fab, scFv, bispecific or multispecific antibodies, T cell engagers, TCR engagers, CAR‐T‐related formats, and other novel modalities.
• Characterize antibody candidates using biochemical, biophysical, and functional assays to assess binding, affinity, specificity, epitope diversity, developability, potency, and mechanism of action.
• Partner with antigen design, structural biology, computational biology, and project teams to move programs efficiently from scientific concept to actionable lead molecules.
• Analyze complex datasets, identify scientific and technical risks, and develop practical mitigation strategies that guide program decisions.
• Monitor emerging antibody discovery and engineering technologies and translate relevant advances into ideas that strengthen Moderna’s therapeutic discovery capabilities.
• Prepare clear technical reports, project plans, and presentations for internal teams, collaborators, governance forums, and leadership.
• Lead cross‑functional scientific discussions, manage external partners, and mentor scientists or research associates as appropriate.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Basic Qualifications)

• PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, protein engineering, cancer biology, or a related discipline, with 5+ years of relevant post‑PhD industry experience in antibody discovery, antibody engineering, or biologics discovery.
• Demonstrated track record independently leading therapeutic antibody discovery campaigns from concept through lead identification, optimization, or nomination.
• Deep technical expertise in antibody biology, antibody structure and function, discovery platforms, and therapeutic antibody optimization.
• Hands‑on experience with immunization‑based antibody discovery, including antigen design, immunization strategy, B cell screening, single‑cell sorting, B cell culturing, antibody sequence recovery, and NGS‑informed repertoire analysis.
• Strong expertise in display technologies for antibody engineering, affinity maturation, specificity optimization, developability improvement, and molecular‑format optimization.
• Strong molecular biology and antibody engineering skills, including cloning, library construction, sequence analysis, expression construct design, antibody expression, purification, and analytical characterization.
• Expertise in antibody characterization assays and platforms, including affinity determination, epitope binning, competition assays, specificity profiling, developability assessment, Biacore, Carterra, Octet, ELISA, MSD, multi‑parameter flow cytometry, or related technologies.
• Experience developing, executing, and troubleshooting functional cell‑based assays relevant to therapeutic antibody discovery.
• Proven ability to design, manage, and critically evaluate outsourced antibody discovery, engineering, and characterization workflows at CROs.
• Strong project leadership skills, including the ability to manage multiple programs, timelines, stakeholders, datasets, and external partnerships simultaneously.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific issues into clear recommendations.
• Collaborative, proactive, resourceful approach to working in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional, matrixed research environment.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)

• PhD in relevant discipline and 7+ years of hands‑on antibody discovery and engineering including prior experience with yeast or mammalian display technologies for antibody discovery and optimization.
• Experience with advanced antibody‑based therapeutic formats, such as T cell engagers, TCR engagers, bispecific or multispecific antibodies, ADCs, CAR‐T or CAR‐NK‐related approaches.
• Familiarity with immune‑cell biology, primary‑cell assays, functional immunology assays, or immune‑cell redirecting therapeutic mechanisms.
• Experience applying antibody discovery or engineering approaches across oncology, autoimmune, infectious disease, or other therapeutically relevant areas.
• Familiarity with antibody sequence analysis, bioinformatics, structural modeling, AI/ML‐enabled discovery tools, or developability prediction platforms.
• Track record of scientific impact through publications, patents, presentations, therapeutic discovery programs, or implementation of new discovery technologies.
• Experience mentoring junior scientists, leading project teams, or influencing cross‑functional scientific strategy.
• A desire to make an impact as part of a high‑growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.

Pay & Benefits

At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well‑being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

• Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
• A holistic approach to well‑being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
• Family planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year‑end shutdown
• Savings and investments to help you plan for the future
• Location‑specific perks and extras

The salary range for this role is $142,500.00 - $256,500.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, other incentive compensation, or equity award, subject to company plan eligibility criteria and individual performance.

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world‑class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world.

By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.

We are proud to have been recognized as a Science Magazine Top Biopharma Employer, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in the U.S.

Our Working Model

As we build our company, we have always believed an in‑person culture is critical to our success. Moderna champions the significant benefits of in‑office collaboration by embracing a 70/30 work model. This 70% in‑office structure helps to foster a culture rich in innovation, teamwork, and direct mentorship. Join us in shaping a world where every interaction is an opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a meaningful impact.

Moderna is a smoke‑free, alcohol‑free, and drug‑free work environment.

Equal Opportunities

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non‑discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law. Moderna is a place where everyone can grow.

Moderna is a E‑Verify Employer in the United States. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees. By cultivating a workplace that values diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we create an environment where every employee can contribute their best.

Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should contact the Accommodations team at [e-mail].

Export Control Notice

Export Control Notice This position may involve access to technology or data that is subject to U.S. export control laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). As such, employment is contingent upon the applicant’s ability to access export‐controlled information in accordance with U.S. law. Due to the nature of the work and regulatory requirements, only individuals who qualify as U.S. persons (citizens, permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) are eligible for this position. For this role Moderna is unable to sponsor non‐U.S. persons to apply for an export control license.