Senior Research Associate/Scientist I, Nurix Adoptive Cell Therapy (NxACT)

Nurix was founded by internationally recognized experts in the ubiquitin-proteasome (UPS) field and received its initial funding from leading life science investors Third Rock Ventures and The Column Group. Nurix recently entered into a multi-year collaboration with Gilead and Sanofi focused on developing bi-functional molecules to degrade protein targets as novel therapeutics. Additionally, Nurix has a strong internal drug discovery pipeline focused on oncology, immunology and inflammation. Nurix plans to advance two molecules into clinical trials in early 2021.

Position

The successful candidate will be responsible for the execution of research activities toward the development of drug-enhanced cell-based therapies for Nurix's clinical development programs targeting protein fate for cancer targeted therapy and immunotherapy on its San Francisco campus. Collaborating with the Discovery and Process Development (located at the Pittsburgh campus) organizations, the translational SRA/Sci I will be responsible for executing preclinical studies, analysis and interpretation of data to guide indication selection for early clinical development.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Utilize broad technical expertise in cell and tumor immunology, biochemistry and molecular biology to investigate, develop and optimize new methods to expand mechanistic understanding of Nurix's clinical development assets.
• Execute translational research studies to identify cancer indications of interest for Nurix development programs.
• Generate and characterize human drug enhanced tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (DeTIL) using advanced methods of T cell expansion, and cell culture
• Examine early small molecule drug candidates for their ability to enhance growth and focus of anti-tumor DeTIL as therapeutic reagents

Education and Skills Requirements:

• B.S. with 8+ years/M.S. with 3-4 years/Ph.D. degree in cell biology, immunology or related discipline. Industry experience is a plus.
• Understanding of biology supporting adoptive cellular therapy as a therapeutic modality.
• Demonstratable experience in multi-color flow cytometry panel design and characterization of cellular subsets in human blood and tissue is required.
• Ideally, candidate will have training and/or experience in designing and implementing in vitro functional cell culture assays, including assessments of cytotoxicity, cytokine production and proliferative capacity.
• Ability to troubleshoot and interpret complex data in an independent fashion
• Prior role in multidisciplinary projects and teams with ability to integrate cross-functional information is an advantage
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, creative thinking, problem solving, flexibility and demonstrated ability to harness existing data sets to inform translational research are essential for this role.
• Collaborative spirit and ability to work with project teams, external investigators and contract research organizations.
• Highly motivated, innovative and strong team player. Excellent time management and organizational skills required.