Associate Scientist, Immunology

Cygnal, a new biology platform company, was founded by Flagship Pioneering to pioneer the field of exoneural biology – the impact of the peripheral nervous system on cancer, the immune system, metabolism, and regeneration. The company is applying cutting-edge neuroscience to elucidate novel therapies to treat cancer progression and metastasis, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, and other diseases.

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has applied a unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $30 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship is backed by >$3 billion of aggregate capital commitments, of which over $1.4 billion has been deployed toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside >$10 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem includes Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO), Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS).

The Position

Cygnal is seeking a Scientist to help us advance the science of Exoneural Biology in immunology and to develop therapeutic hypotheses from target identification, pathway validation, therapeutic development and beyond. The candidate must be independent and goal oriented, and able to efficiently lead teams and complete multiple projects in parallel. The position will require creativity, resourcefulness, and adaptability. The candidate will be responsible for the direction and execution of projects, including novel assay development, in vitro proof-of concept, and in vivo translational studies, and aligning the scientific plan with corporate objectives. We are searching for enthusiastic, innovative, and highly motivated individuals who are comfortable working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.

Responsibilities

• Design experimental plans for pathway validation and target identification, including assay development in vitro and in vivo, in collaboration with the scientific team
• Execute experiments, interpret and validate results, and communicate data to scientific team and executive management
• Lead and collaborate with other scientists and research associates to achieve company objectives

Skills & Abilities

• Required: demonstrated expertise with primary immune cell assays
• Immunologist with a focus on target discovery
• Research experience in immune oncology
• Strong experimental skills, especially assay development, cell and molecular immunology. Expertise in multi-color flow cytometry immune cell phenotyping, tissue isolation techniques and assays
• Motivated and curious, experienced working with highly technical projects and personnel.
• Highly adaptable and responsive to technical and business opportunities and needs – comfortable delivering against challenging commitments.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of conveying technical information in a clear and thorough manner.
• Confident, execution focused, team oriented, with an ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial environment.

Education & Experience

• BS/MS/PhD
• 5+ years of relevant laboratory experience, in academic, pharmaceutical or biotechnology settings.
• Demonstrated ability in working with highly skilled teams in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and technical setting

RECRUITING & STAFFING AGENCIES: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.