Principal Scientist

Alphanumeric is hiring a PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST to work in Cambridge, MA with our client of 20 years committed to improving lives through medical and pharmaceutical advancements.

Pay Range: $78.00 - $83.50/hour (W2)
W2 only. No C2C or third-party candidates will be considered.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to lead the development of scalable, cell-based assay platforms for evaluating and ranking multi-epitope mRNA construct designs in a high-throughput environment.

This role requires deep expertise in flow cytometry and microscopy-based cellular readouts, with the ability to translate complex assay data into clear, actionable design recommendations to advance mRNA vaccine development.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development of cell-based assays to evaluate and rank multi-epitope mRNA construct designs (e.g., expression/presentation proxies, antigen-specific T cell activation, breadth/competition effects).
• Provide technical leadership in flow cytometry, including panel design, controls, acquisition, gating strategies, SOP development, troubleshooting, and data quality control.
• Partner closely with Molecular Biology and RNA teams to design and iterate mRNA constructs based on assay outcomes.
• Establish robust, reproducible workflows using cell lines and/or primary immune cells.
• Enable high-throughput assay execution (96/384-well formats) with standardized controls and scalable analysis templates.
• Mentor team members and build internal capabilities around new assay platforms.
• Ensure data integrity, documentation, and compliance with internal standards; support assay transfer across teams and sites.
• Stay current on advancements in RNA vaccines, immunology, and assay technologies.
• Contribute to internal reports, publications, and scientific presentations.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance scientific environment.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, or related field with 3+ years of postdoctoral and/or industry experience (or MS with 8+ years).
• Strong knowledge of molecular biology techniques (cloning, RNA production, characterization).
• Deep understanding of RNA biology and mRNA vaccine design principles.
• Extensive hands-on experience with flow cytometry (design → execution → analysis) and building reproducible assays.
• Experience working with immune and/or engineered cell lines.
• Practical experience with microscopy-based assays (confocal or high-content imaging).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-throughput cellular assay development (96/384-well formats, assay miniaturization, robustness metrics).
• Hands-on experience with automation platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton) or strong collaboration with automation teams.
• Familiarity with multiplex protein assays (e.g., cytokine panels).
• Expertise in T cell functional assays and translating results into construct design decisions.
• Knowledge of antigen processing and presentation pathways.
• Exposure to immunopeptidomics.
• Experience with data workflows for high-throughput biology (LIMS, metadata standards, reproducible pipelines).

Must-Have Skills

• Flow cytometry assay development and analysis
• Cell-based assay design (immune-focused)
• mRNA/RNA biology and construct optimization
• Data interpretation and decision-making for design iteration
• Cross-functional collaboration (biology + RNA + data teams)

What Type of Individuals Excel in This Environment

• Scientifically curious and driven to solve complex biological problems
• Thrive in fast-paced, iterative R&D environments
• Strong ownership mindset with ability to lead from the bench
• Comfortable translating data into strategy and action
• Collaborative and able to influence across cross-functional teams

Nice-to-Have (Edge) Qualifications

• Experience in vaccine development or infectious disease research
• Background in biotech/pharma R&D environments
• Familiarity with AI/ML-supported assay analysis or design workflows
• Prior experience scaling assays from early research to platform level

Additional Information

• Industry experience in biotech, pharmaceutical, or related life sciences strongly preferred; adjacent research environments (academic labs, translational research institutes) will be considered.