Vector Engineering Scientist - Immune Cell Delivery

Syenex, Inc; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Syenex, Inc in Evanston, IL is seeking an Associate Scientist/Scientist with strong mammalian cell engineering experience to advance next‑generation delivery vectors for engineering immune cells. The role blends synthetic biology, vector design, and quantitative assay development across multiple disciplines.

The successful candidate will own experiments end‑to‑end, from question framing and design through execution, analysis, and recommendations, in a highly collaborative startup environment.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent with hands-on mammalian cell culture experience.
• Experience engineering mammalian cells with transfection and genomic integration.
• Proficient in gene editing (CRISPR/Cas) and genomic editing approaches.
• Strong understanding of synthetic biology and genetic program design.
• Experience with flow cytometry, microscopy, ELISA, and protein characterization.
• Molecular biology techniques including DNA extractions, qPCR, and plasmid prep.
• Rigorous experimental approach, data quality, and reproducibility.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to work independently and in teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evaluate diverse genetic payloads for mammalian cell engineering.
• Design, build, and evaluate gene-editing cargos for delivery systems.
• Characterize gene/protein expression using flow cytometry, sequencing, qPCR, ELISA, and imaging.
• Develop scalable, high-throughput screening workflows for vector designs.
• Independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experiments.
• Develop and implement SOPs to improve reproducibility and transfer workflows.
• Maintain complete records and sample metadata using ELNs and databases.
• Maintain and expand immortalized and primary human cell cultures.
• Perform molecular cloning and plasmid preparation.
• Provide guidance to junior scientists and research associates.
• Present results to project teams and leadership.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Gene editing (CRISPR)

Vector design

qPCR

Flow cytometry

Western blot

Plasmid preparation

Molecular biology techniques

Aseptic technique

Data analysis

Education

PhD in cell biology or related field

Bachelor's or Master's + 4–6 years lab experience

Tools

Flow cytometer

qPCR machine

Job description

Syenex, Inc in Evanston, IL is seeking an Associate Scientist/Scientist with strong mammalian cell engineering experience to advance next‑generation delivery vectors for engineering immune cells. The role blends synthetic biology, vector design, and quantitative assay development across multiple disciplines.

The successful candidate will own experiments end‑to‑end, from question framing and design through execution, analysis, and recommendations, in a highly collaborative startup environment.