Contract - Senior Research Associate, Protein Sciences

The Company:

Flagship Labs 95, Inc. (FL95) is transforming the impact, breadth, and scalability of programmable medicines with a novel class of noncanonical viral vectors.

FL95 is a well-funded, early-stage biotechnology company founded by Flagship Pioneering, an organization dedicated to the origination and development of first-in-category life sciences companies.  Since 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $20+ billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.

The Role:

We are seeking a Senior Research Associate, Protein Sciences (Contractor) to help our team in building a novel discovery and development platform for non-canonical viral vector-based programmable medicines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, optimize, and implement experimental workflows for recombinant protein expression, primarily in E. coli.
• Purify proteins using various techniques, including affinity chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC).
• Characterize protein quality and behavior in solution using analytical methods such as SEC and SDS-PAGE.
• Troubleshoot issues in protein expression, purification, and quality control workflows.
• Manage and maintain the FPLC system, ensuring reliable operation and optimal performance to support protein purification workflows.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor's or master's degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, biological engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field and 3+ years of industry experience for MS or 5+ years for BS industry experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, with a preference for experience in recombinant protein or biologics production companies.
• Deep laboratory and technical expertise in:
• Recombinant protein expression using E. coli, including optimization of expression conditions (e.g., temperature, induction time, and media composition).
• Protein purification techniques, particularly affinity chromatography (e.g., IMAC) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), with extensive hands-on experience using ÄKTA FPLC systems.
• Protein quality characterization methods (e.g., SDS-PAGE, UV-Vis, HPLC)
• Troubleshooting expression and purification challenges, such as solubility issues, aggregation, or yield limitations.
• Familiarity with molecular biology techniques, such as cloning, plasmid preparation, and mutagenesis, as they relate to protein construct design.
• Virus-like particles (VLP), viral capsids, and/or nanoparticle experience is preferred.
• Experience managing and maintaining FPLC systems, including routine maintenance, troubleshooting, and system optimization.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for documenting protocols and results.

Location: Cambridge, MA

About Flagship

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & 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.