Scientist I - Virology

Dawar Consulting; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Benefits

Paid Sick Leave

401K

Job summary

Dawar Consulting in Foster City, CA is seeking a Scientist I – Virology to support discovery and development of therapies targeting viral diseases. The role involves designing and executing virology, molecular biology, and immunology experiments in a collaborative team.

The successful candidate will perform virus production, cloning, and assays (ELISA, FACS) and contribute to MOA studies. 4+ years in life sciences and strong cell culture skills are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences with 4+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience in virology, molecular biology, immunology, or cell biology.
• Experience with molecular cloning, PCR, qPCR/RT-qPCR, RNA/DNA isolation, and plasmid construction.
• Experience with virus production, viral propagation, or viral vector systems.
• Strong mammalian cell culture experience.
• Experience performing ELISA, flow cytometry or immune cell functional assays.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and experimental design skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and perform virology, molecular biology, and cell-based assays.
• Construct, clone, and propagate wild-type and mutant viruses.
• Perform molecular cloning, PCR, qPCR, RNA/DNA isolation, and plasmid construction.
• Culture and maintain mammalian and primary cells.
• Conduct virus production, infectivity assays, and antiviral efficacy studies.
• Evaluate EC50/IC50 values of drug candidates against viruses.
• Perform ELISA, flow cytometry, and immune cell functional assays.
• Investigate MOA of therapeutic candidates.
• Analyze and present data with accurate documentation.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to support preclinical programs.

Skills

Virology

Molecular biology

Immunology

Cell biology

Mammalian cell culture

Experimental design

Data analysis

Communication

qPCR

Virus production

ELISA

Flow cytometry

Education

Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry

Tools

PCR

qPCR/RT-qPCR

RNA/DNA isolation

Plasmid construction

Job description

Scientist I – Virology

Foster City, CA, United States

Duration: Long term contract (possibility of further extension)

Pay Rate: $57.50/hr on W2 + Medical Benefits, Paid Sick leave, 401K

Responsibilities

This role will support the discovery and development of innovative therapies targeting viral diseases such as HBV, HDV, HSV, and other infectious diseases. The successful candidate will contribute to preclinical drug discovery by designing and executing virology, molecular biology, and immunology experiments in a collaborative research environment.

• Design, develop, validate, and performvirology, molecular biology, and cell-based assays.
• Construct, clone, and propagatewild‑type and mutant viruses.
• Performmolecular cloning, plasmid construction, PCR, qPCR, and RNA/DNA isolation.
• Culture and maintain mammalian and primary cells for functional studies.
• Conductvirus production, viral infectivity assays, and antiviral efficacy studies.
• EvaluateEC50/IC50 values of drug candidates against wild‑type and mutant viruses.
• Perform immune‑based assays includingELISA, flow cytometry (FACS), and immune cell functional assays.
• Investigatemechanisms of action (MOA) of therapeutic candidates.
• Analyze, interpret, and present experimental data while maintaining accurate laboratory documentation.
• Troubleshoot experiments and recommend technical improvements based on scientific literature.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to support preclinical research programs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree inMicrobiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, or a related life sciences discipline with4+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands‑on experience invirology, molecular biology, immunology, or cell biology.
• Experience withmolecular cloning, PCR, qPCR/RT‑qPCR, RNA/DNA isolation, and plasmid construction.
• Experience withvirus production, viral propagation, or viral vector systems.
• Strong experience withmammalian cell culture and/or primary cell culture.
• Experience performingELISA, flow cytometry (FACS), or immune cell functional assays.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and experimental design skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience withHBV, HDV, HSV, or other infectious disease research.
• Experience withoncolytic viruses, adenovirus, lentivirus, AAV, or other viral vector platforms.
• Experience withEC50/IC50 analysis, antiviral drug screening, or pharmacology assays.
• Knowledge ofmechanism of action (MOA) studies and preclinical drug discovery.
• Experience supportingIND‑enabling research.