Scientist / Senior Scientist, Genetic Engineering

Waypoint Bio; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation including salary and benefits

Collaborative work environment

Job summary

Waypoint Bio is looking for a highly-motivated Scientist/Senior Scientist in New York to innovate genetic engineering processes for cancer therapies. The position involves designing and testing novel T cell therapies using cutting-edge screening technologies, contributing to groundbreaking treatments for solid tumors.

The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. and has extensive experience with genetic engineering tools and immune cell therapies. Join our collaborative team and make an impact in advancing cancer care.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Synthetic Biology, or related field required.
• 3+ years of experience with genetic engineering tools in mammalian cells.
• An excellent scientific track record with published papers.

Responsibilities

• Design and test innovative cell therapy designs for solid tumors.
• Compare different CAR T designs using engineering approaches.
• Engage in prioritizing key milestones and developing timelines.

Skills

Expertise with genetic engineering tools

Experience with immune cell therapies

Organizational abilities

Molecular cloning

RNA/DNA purification

Education

Ph.D. in a relevant field

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with equivalent experience

Tools

Lentivirus

AAV

CRISPR

LNP-based systems

Job description

Scientist / Senior Scientist, Genetic Engineering

• Full-time position
• Competitive compensation (Salary, Benefits & Options)
• 430 E 29th Street, New York, NY

Waypoint Bio a venture-backed biotech startup innovating in spatial and computational biology and their application to advancing cancer therapies. Our leading focus is the development of next generation cell therapies for solid tumors. Our proprietary platform overcomes a major obstacle — the tradeoff between fast but inaccurate in vitro experiments and more accurate but slow and expensive in vivo approaches — that holds back traditional cell therapy preclinical development. Combining spatial pooled screening, in silico engineering, and machine learning, we obtain both depth and breadth when screening cell therapy candidates: speed without compromising on in vivo accuracy. Our team is highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and committed to developing breakthrough therapies to benefit patients’ lives.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly-motivated, rigorous, and creative scientist who thrives in a fast-paced collaborative environment. In this position, you will design new screens for novel T cell therapies, manufacture those cell therapies, and work collaboratively to test their function in complex animal models. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise designing and using genetic engineering tools — such as lentivirus, AAVs, virus-like particles, or lipid nanoparticles — for both in vitro genetic editing and directly in animal models. This person will also have technical experience working with immune cells, and conceptual knowledge of pooled screening approaches. Our high-throughput screening platform creates a unique opportunity for inventive minds to design & test novel ideas for better-engineered cell therapies. We seek broadly knowledgeable and creative thinkers who bring together ideas from disparate areas of biology to make the most of this opportunity.

The role reports directly to our Chief Scientific Officer, David Phizicky.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, build, and test hundreds of innovative cell therapy designs for solid tumors — using and improving on Waypoint's spatial pooled screening platform.
• Compare different CAR T designs using viral & non-viral engineering approaches, followed by in vitro assays.
• Design and test novel genetic engineering tools for both mouse and human immune cells.
• Optimize Waypoint’s spatial pooled screening technology in different tissue types.
• Provide conceptual input on in vivo experimental design and interpretation in a team setting.
• Actively engage in prioritizing key milestones and developing appropriate timelines.
• Keep detailed scientific records in an electronic lab notebook and actively contribute towards the organization of the lab.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Synthetic Biology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, or a related field. Alternatively, Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree with equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of academic or industry experience working with genetic engineering tools in mammalian cells (e.g. lentivirus, AAV, CRISPR, LNP-based systems, recombinases, etc).
• High degree of expertise in molecular cloning (e.g. Gibson cloning), RNA/DNA purification, and preparation of NGS libraries.
• Practical knowledge of the immune cell therapy field, with a focus on T cell therapies.
• An excellent scientific track record with published papers in relevant areas.
• Superb organizational abilities and precise scientific record keeping in electronic lab notebooks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing, building, and testing immune cell therapies using in vitro assays and animal models.
• Expertise in pooled screening approaches.
• Knowledge of the interplay between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment.
• Experience with multiplexed immunofluorescence or other spatial biology approaches in FFPE tissues.