Principal Scientist, Vaccine Virology

CSL; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

CSL Seqirus in Waltham, MA is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead the Research Virology and Immunology (RVI) team, advancing seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines with hands-on laboratory expertise and scientific leadership.

You will oversee assay development, preclinical immunogenicity studies, data analysis, and external collaborations, while mentoring scientists and ensuring biosafety and quality in a fast-paced, cross-site environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in life sciences with 5+ years postdoctoral or professional research experience.
• Strong expertise in classical and molecular virology and assay development.
• Experience with infectious-virus culture and titration and neutralization assays.
• Experience designing and interpreting preclinical vaccine studies and integrating virological and immunological findings.
• Proficiency with GraphPad Prism and statistical visualization.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for vaccine research programs in virology and immunology.
• Design, optimize, and troubleshoot virology/immunology assays (live-virus, pseudovirus, ELISA, HAI, etc.).
• Lead preclinical immunogenicity and protection studies with relevant animal models.
• Apply rigorous experimental design and quantitative analyses to generate reproducible data.
• Oversee CROs and external collaborators for study design and data delivery.
• Mentor scientists and research staff; promote knowledge sharing and cross-training.

Skills

Virology

Immunology

Assay development

Data analysis

GraphPad Prism

Leadership

Education

PhD in Virology/Immunology/Microbiology/MMBL

Tools

qPCR

ELISA

Virus culture

Job description

Principal Scientist, Virology & Immunology

CSL Seqirus | Waltham, MA | Onsite, 5 days per week

The Opportunity

CSL Seqirus is seeking a Principal Scientist to join our Research Virology and Immunology (RVI) team in Waltham, MA. Reporting to the Director, Vaccine Virology & Immunology, you will provide scientific leadership and hands-on laboratory expertise to advance seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines, support existing products, and evaluate new respiratory-virus vaccine opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific Leadership and Program Delivery: Lead assigned vaccine research programs as a virology subject-matter expert, translating scientific priorities into experimental strategies, milestones, and deliverables. Partner with research leadership, project managers, and cross-functional teams to advance programs from early concept evaluation through preclinical development while maintaining hands-on involvement in critical experiments and scientific decision-making.
• Virology and Immunology Assay Development: Design, develop, optimize, and troubleshoot virological and immunological assays to support vaccine research and product development. Techniques may include live-virus and pseudovirus neutralization, infectious-virus culture and titration, plaque and focus-forming assays, TCID50, RT-qPCR, reverse genetics, hemagglutination inhibition (HAI), microneutralization, ELISA, neuraminidase inhibition, and functional antibody assays such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).
• Preclinical and Translational Vaccine Research: Design and interpret preclinical immunogenicity and protection studies using relevant animal models, including ferrets and rodents, in collaboration with in vivo specialists and external partners. Investigate vaccine-induced immunity, antigenic breadth, durability of responses, and the contributions of hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and adjuvants to vaccine performance. Integrate animal-study findings with human serology and virology data to inform vaccine development and product differentiation.
• Data Analysis and Scientific Communication: Apply rigorous experimental design, appropriate controls, and quantitative analysis to generate reproducible, high-quality data. Interpret neutralization, titration, sequence, and antigenic datasets using appropriate statistical and analytical tools. Communicate findings, study limitations, and recommendations through scientific reports, presentations, publications, and contributions to regulatory documentation and intellectual property activities.
• External Collaboration and Technology Transfer: Provide scientific oversight of contract research organizations (CROs) and external collaborators, including study design, technical troubleshooting, data review, and delivery of project objectives. Support assay transfer, method qualification, and cross-site comparability while maintaining scientific ownership of assigned methods. Evaluate emerging technologies, scientific literature, and external research opportunities to inform program strategy.
• Technical Mentorship and Team Development: Mentor and train scientists and research associates, provide technical guidance, and promote knowledge sharing and cross-training. Contribute to research planning, platform development, and continuous improvement while fostering a collaborative culture of scientific excellence and accountability.
• Biosafety and Laboratory Operations: Conduct authorized laboratory research in accordance with applicable biosafety, animal welfare, and documentation requirements. Support laboratory readiness, risk assessments, and training for work in BSL-2, enhanced BSL-2, and BSL-3 environments as assigned, partnering with biosafety and laboratory operations teams to maintain safe and compliant research practices.

Qualifications

• PhD in Virology, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related life sciences discipline, with at least five years of relevant postdoctoral or professional research experience.
• Strong expertise in classical and molecular virology, including hands‑on experience developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting quantitative cell‑based assays.
• Experience with infectious‑virus culture and titration, neutralization assays, molecular virology techniques, and at least one pseudovirus or reporter‑virus platform.
• Experience designing and interpreting preclinical vaccine or infectious‑disease studies and integrating virological and immunological findings.
• Strong experimental design, statistical analysis, and data visualization skills, including proficiency with GraphPad Prism