Scientist​/Sr. Scientist, mRNA Display

Does it excite you to work at the frontier of peptide and mini-protein drug discovery, and do you have hands‑on experience with mRNA display technology? If this sounds like you, and you are ready to help build a new discovery platform from the ground up, then you could be our new colleague.

Your new position As a Scientist or Senior Scientist in mRNA Display, you will play a central scientific role in our new Molecular Platform Development organization, driving peptide and mini-protein discovery through mRNA display technology. You will help build and operate a modern, high-throughput display platform at the inception of our new Cambridge, MA research center. This role suits a scientist with strong technical expertise across the full mRNA display workflow, scientific curiosity, and a desire to grow in scope and responsibility.

• Execute the full peptide and mini-protein mRNA display workflow, from library design and in vitro transcription/translation through puromycin-based fusion, selection, and enrichment
• Apply expertise in non-canonical amino acid incorporation to expand chemical diversity within display libraries
• Apply chemical modification strategies, including macrocyclization/stapling, lipidation, and bioconjugation, to improve potency, stability, and pharmacokinetic properties
• Build and maintain custom cell-free display systems in-house, including establishing mRNA display platforms from scratch
• Generate and analyze structure-activity relationship (SAR) data to support optimization of selected hits, contributing to lead and backup candidate selection
• Collaborate with computational modeling, design, and data science colleagues to support efficient DMTA cycles

Your profile You bring strong technical expertise across the peptide and mini-protein mRNA display workflow, along with scientific curiosity and sound judgment. You thrive in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment and are motivated to help shape a new platform and research center from an early stage. You communicate scientific data and concepts clearly and work effectively across cross-functional project teams.

• PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, or a related field preferred (postdoctoral training preferred)
• candidates with a BS/MS and significantly more relevant industry experience will also be considered
• 2+ years of relevant post-degree experience in mRNA display or related in vitro display technologies (Scientist)
• 4+ years (Senior Scientist)
• Experience building custom cell-free display systems from scratch strongly preferred
• experience with other in vitro display technologies (e.g., ribosome display) and cell-free protein/peptide expression systems (e.g., IVTT, CFS) is a plus
• Experience incorporating non-canonical amino acids via reprogrammed translation systems (e.g., flexizyme-based methods) or related approaches
• Experience applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze library diversity and selection enrichment; familiarity with associated bioinformatics is a plus
• Familiarity with analytical characterization of peptides (e.g., LC-MS-based methods) and peptide develop ability considerations (stability, solubility, manufacturability)

Your new team You will join Molecular Platform Development, a new organization created to strengthen and advance diverse drug modality capabilities in metabolic disease, based at our new Cambridge, MA research center. The site is a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary discovery hub integrating computational research, chemistry, and biology, and is deeply connected to the Greater Boston life sciences ecosystem.

Let’s bond and be bold We have a unique culture, characterized by excellent teamwork and strong engagement across the organization. And we want you to help us…