Senior Scientist

The Fountain Group; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 69,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

The Fountain Group is seeking a Senior Scientist to advance in vivo CAR-T vector delivery, focusing on lentiviral vector engineering and T cell biology. You will own experimental strategy, drive vector platform innovation, and operate with scientific independence in a collaborative cell-therapy group.

Responsibilities include designing complex vector engineering strategies, leading end-to-end LVV platform work, and applying rigorous QC to deliver GMP-like documentation.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Cell Therapy, Virology, Immunology, Bioengineering, or related discipline.
• Extensive hands on CAR-T therapy development experience, ex vivo or in vivo.
• Deep expertise in lentiviral vector engineering, production, and QC.
• Advanced knowledge of primary T cell biology and functional assay development.
• Hands on proficiency in mammalian cell culture, including cancer cell lines and primary T cells.
• Advanced multicolor flow cytometry with panel design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation.
• Proven ability to maintain documentation standards and scientific communication.

Responsibilities

• Generate and characterize stable producer cell lines, including clone screening and banking.
• Design and execute vector engineering and validation for in vivo CAR delivery.
• Lead end-to-end LVV platform execution: production, troubleshooting, optimization, QC strategy.
• Own functional assessment strategy for vector potency and transduction.
• Develop and execute flow cytometry-based assays to quantify transduction and CAR T phenotype.
• Ensure GMP-like documentation and data traceability for internal reviews.
• Make independent technical decisions affecting project direction.
• Identify knowledge gaps and propose new approaches or tech improvements.
• Communicate complex findings to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Role focuses on in vivo LVV platform development for CAR-T cells generated in vivo.

Skills

CAR-T therapy

Lentiviral engineering

Primary T cell culture

Mammalian cell culture

Flow cytometry

Scientific documentation

Education

PhD or MS

Job description

Pay: $50 - $60/Hour

Duration: 4+ months

Overview:

• This position will support in vivo CAR programs, in which the lentiviral vector is delivered directly to the patient rather than used to manufacture an ex vivo cell product. The scientific focus is on vector engineering, targeted delivery, and transduction of T cells in situ, where therapeutic goals, experimental design, and success criteria differ from conventional ex vivo CAR T development.

Key characteristics of this in vivo focus include:

• Emphasis on vector intrinsic properties — targeting specificity, transduction efficiency in resting T cells, and payload design — rather than cell product attributes
• Engineering envelope/pseudotype and surface modifications to direct tropism to T cells and limit off target transduction
• Transduction of resting, unstimulated primary T cells, where permissiveness and activation state drive outcomes
• Vector potency, purity, and identity as the critical quality attributes, placing heavier weight on analytical and QC strategy
• Experience or background exclusively in ex vivo CAR T is welcomed, but candidates must demonstrate the ability to adapt vector and T cell engineering strategies to in vivo delivery constraints and therapeutic objectives.
• The Senior Scientist operates with scientific independence, owning experimental strategy, driving innovation in vector engineering and in vivo delivery platforms, and making technical decisions with minimal oversight.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or MS with industry experience in Cell Therapy, Virology, Immunology, Bioengineering, or related discipline
• Extensive hands on experience in CAR T cell therapy development, ex vivo or in vivo
• Deep expertise in lentiviral vector engineering, production, and QC
• Advanced knowledge of primary T cell biology and functional assay development
• Hands on proficiency in mammalian cell culture, including cancer cell lines and primary T cells
• Advanced multicolor flow cytometry, including panel design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of transduction, phenotype, and function readouts
• Proven ability to maintain exceptional documentation standards and scientific communication

Key Responsibilities

• Generate and characterize stable producer cell lines, including clone screening, selection, and banking
• Design, prioritize, and execute complex vector engineering and validation strategies for in vivo CAR delivery
• Lead end to end lentiviral vector platform execution, including production, troubleshooting, optimization, and QC strategy
• Own functional assessment strategy for vector potency and transduction, selecting appropriate assays and defining success criteria
• Develop and execute flow cytometry-based assays to quantify transduction, target cell specificity, and CAR T phenotype and function
• Ensure GMP grade like documentation standards, data traceability, and readiness for internal review or audit
• Make independent technical decisions that impact project direction and experimental prioritization
• Identify knowledge gaps and proactively propose new approaches or technology improvements
• Communicate complex findings clearly and persuasively to cross functional stakeholders
• Role focus: Support CAR-T cell therapy research, specifically development of an in-vivo lentiviral vector (LVV) platform. The goal is to generate CAR-T cells inside the patient after administering the product.
• Day-to-day work: Mostly lab-based, including lentivirus generation and QC, functional/titer analysis, primary-cell transduction, and T-cell/PBMC workflows.

Key experience sought:

• CAR-T cell therapy, including ex-vivo CAR-T experience.
• Lentiviral vector engineering or generation, with functional analysis.
• Primary T-cell culture and CAR-T generation/function assays.
• Mammalian cell culture, including work with stable producer cells for lentivirus packaging.
• Multipanel flow cytometry.
• Prior in-vivo lentiviral experience is especially desirable.
• Readiness: Because the assignment is short, she prefers someone who can contribute quickly. A candidate need not know every specific assay, but should already understand CAR-T and lentiviral work.
• Education and experience: She is flexible on years of experience and will prioritize depth in the relevant field. A recent PhD graduate can be considered with strong relevant lab/research experience; master’s candidates would generally need experience, and industry experience would be ideal for bachelor’s candidates.
• Team: The role is within a collaborative cell-therapy group of more than 20 scientists, with smaller teams that work together and share lab space.
• Project context: LVV platform development is a newer, high-priority direction, and the team needs someone