Research Associate, Immuno-Oncology Research

Biopharma Careers; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Discretionary bonus

Location-specific perks

Job summary

Moderna is seeking a Research Associate in Immuno-Oncology to advance mRNA-based cancer therapies. The role involves bench work to characterize product activity and biomarkers in vitro and in vivo, supporting preclinical and IND-enabling studies within a fast-paced team.

The candidate will perform immune cell isolation, culture, ELISA/MSD, flow cytometry, and PK/PD sample processing, delivering high-quality, reproducible data.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Hands-on experience with cell transfection and immune cell culture.
• Experience with multi-color flow cytometry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Execute in vitro and ex vivo experiments to characterize mRNA products.
• Support preclinical research and translational studies.
• Maintain organized lab notebook and data records.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team of scientists.
• Analyze and summarize data for presentations.
• Contribute to study designs and troubleshooting as needed.

Skills

Cell transfection

Immune cell culture

Co-culture assays

Flow cytometry

Data analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MSD

ELISA

qPCR

ddPCR

GraphPad Prism

Omiq

Job description

The Role

Immuno-Oncology Research at Moderna is seeking a talented and motivated Research Associate to join our efforts in developing new mRNA-based drugs for cancer therapy. The successful candidate will use molecular biology and immunology techniques to characterize Moderna's mRNA products, their activity, and/or relevant biomarkers in vitro and in vivo to support early preclinical research, IND-enabling studies, and/or translational research. This is a bench-focused role requiring technical expertise and the ability to work within a cross-functional, fast-paced team. The successful candidate will execute in vitro and ex vivo experiments as part of a team and consistently deliver high quality, reproducible data.

Here's What You'll Do

• Use Moderna's mRNA products to demonstrate expression and characterize activity of immuno-oncology therapeutic proteins in relevant in vitro and/or in vivo experimental systems
• Gain knowledge of preclinical cancer models and toxicology models
• Perform and/or support experiments and assays such as immune cell isolation, cell culture, ELISA/MSD, flow cytometry, cell-based functional and reporter assays, sample processing and analysis for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies
• Work collaboratively within direct team, as well as with a cross-functional team of scientists
• Maintain an organized work area and electronic lab notebook
• Analyze, visualize, and summarize experimental data, including team meeting presentations

Here's What You'll Need (Minimum Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree
• Technical experience in cell transfection, long-term immune cell cultures, co-culture assays, and multi-color flow cytometry
• Experience in the following areas is preferred: protein detection methods (MSD, ELISA), assay development and troubleshooting, familiarity with qPCR and ddPCR
• The candidate should be self-motivated, flexible, and able to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

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

• At least 1 year of relevant experience in an immuno-oncology setting
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as the ability to contribute to high performing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with GraphPad Prism and Omiq for flow cytometry data analysis.
• 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 $63,200.00 - $100,900.00. 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