Principal Scientist, Translational Virology

Principal Scientist, GSK Vaccines – Translational Virology

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. R&D is committed to discovering and delivering transformational vaccines and medicines to prevent and change the course of disease.

We believe the Greater Boston area is an important hub for the biotech and pharma industry, which is why we’ve invested in growing our footprint and expanding our R&D space in Cambridge, with a primary focus on additional state‑of‑the‑art lab space. Here, we will bring together talent and expertise, building upon GSK’s long history of vaccine development, to create globally leading viral capabilities and cutting‑edge vaccines technologies, as we add to our robust portfolio targeting infectious diseases at every stage of life.

We are looking for a highly collaborative, innovative virologist with experience in 3-dimensional (3D) cellular and in vivo translational models who can contribute to multiple projects and help advance a wide variety of viral vaccine candidates through preclinical development.

The Principal Scientist position will be focused on developing and qualifying complex in vitro and in vivo virus challenge models to be used for characterization of vaccine candidates. The Principal Scientist will bring to the team experience in designing, implementing, and conducting in vivo and in vitro preclinical studies to assess vaccine candidate efficacy and mechanism of action. They will also contribute significant knowledge of immunology and cell biology and generate data to provide critical information which will enable strategic decision making by the vaccine project teams.

• Develop in‑house 3D culture models containing multiple cell types, including immune cells
• Implement and conduct in‑house in vitro and in vivo virus challenge studies
• Provide scientific expertise in the areas of cellular and immune responses to virus infection, vaccine mechanism of action, and development of assays to evaluate those responses
• Write protocols, procedures and work instructions to support assays
• Train and mentor junior lab personnel
• Communicate results orally or written internally or externally at conferences
• Provide effective and inspiring leadership with an enterprise mindset, to enable collaboration with scientists across multiple functions, including key scientific stakeholders internally and externally
• Independently write specific technical sections of internal and external reports and contribute to scientific papers

• PhD degree in life sciences with at least 3 years of postdoctoral or industry experience, or Master’s degree with at least 6 years’ experience in cellular biology and in vivo pharmacology
• Three or more years of experience with in‑vivo virus challenge models and virological analyses
• Three or more years of experience in 3D cellular models
• Three or more years’ experience in molecular biology and immunology assays

• Prior experience in virus‑host interactions and/or vaccinology
• Experience in model qualification and validation
• Detailed knowledge in immunology and cellular biology as it applies to vaccines or related field
• Basic skills in statistical analysis
• Strong track‑record of scientific publications in peer‑reviewed journals
• Ability to work and lead as part of a matrixed team

• Have practical knowledge in a wide variety of virology, immunology, and cell culture techniques as well as working with animal and human biological samples
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of IACUC standards and practices related to animal welfare
• Design and conduct detailed in vitro and in vivo studies with project‑directing deliverables
• Exhibit a willingness to spend ~75% of time in the research laboratory
• Understand, interpret, and communicate complex scientific data to determine next steps
• Be a self‑starter able to handle multiple projects concurrently
• Possess a good balance of creativity and analytical thinking faculties
• Display an ability to be productive and successful in an intense work environment…