Senior​/Principal Scientist - RNA Engineering Therapeutics

Senior / Principal Scientist - RNA Engineering for Therapeutics

We're hiring - come help shape the future of stem cell and gene therapies.

Plurify is an early-stage, fast-moving biotech building platform technologies to help unlock the next generation of stem cell and gene therapies. Our work targets the most stubborn manufacturing bottlenecks – including the unwanted residual cells and plasmids left behind during cell and gene therapy production – with scalable, precisely targeted solutions. With several Innovate UK grants and strong private backing behind us, we're growing the team over the next few years.

You'd join a tight-knit team of seven and quickly become the internal authority on RNA - the person colleagues turn to, and the one shaping our RNA strategy. The role is built to grow: as the company scales, we expect this person could grow into a team-leadership position, building and leading RNA engineering.

We run on ownership and trust: flexible working, and the freedom to follow strong ideas wherever they serve the mission.

• Build and test RNA systems for biomanufacturing and therapeutic use, focusing on construct architecture, UTRs, regulatory motifs, and sequence optimization to maximize performance.
• Develop control elements that work in an RNA context - regulatory and switchable elements that give us tunable, conditional control over expression.
• Advance our self-replicating RNA work - apply a deep understanding of RNA viruses and replicon biology to design, build and troubleshoot saRNA systems.
• Optimise sequence and elements for expression, stability, control and manufacturability.
• Optimise deployment of RNA for various cell systems - iPSCs, T cells and other human cell lines.
• Be the thought leader on RNA within the team - the go-to expert who raises the technical bar and mentors others.
• Grow and, in time, lead - build out and head an RNA team as the company scales.
• Represent the science externally - contribute to partnerships, IP and publications, and help position Plurify at the leading edge of RNA.
• Turn data into decisions - design decisive experiments, analyse rigorously, and steer the programme accordingly.

• 3+ years hands-on experience designing and innovating RNA for therapeutic or biomanufacturing applications.
• A track record of developing novel functions and characteristics in an RNA context.
• Demonstrated ability to optimise RNA sequence and elements for strong, reliable expression.
• A PhD in RNA biology, molecular biology, synthetic biology or a related field, with postdoctoral and/or industry experience.
• Leadership instincts - the drive to deliver world-leading innovation, set technical direction, and grow into a team-lead role.
• A strong foundation across core molecular biology.

• Experience using and delivering RNA in iPSCs, T cells and other human cell lines (highly desirable).
• Depth in alpha virus / replicon engineering - multi-subgenomic designs and expression tuning.
• mRNA design and in vitro transcription, including capping and poly-A strategies.
• Design of switchable or inducible elements (riboswitches, aptamers, IRES-based control etc).
• Experience with IP / patent strategy around RNA technology.
• Mentoring or line-management experience.
• Start-up or wider industry experience.
• Familiarity with iPSC culture and differentiation.

• Self-starter - the discipline to stay productive and push through the inevitable obstacles.
• Genuinely collaborative - open with colleagues and quick to draw on the team's collective expertise.
• Organised and proactive - you manage your own time and reliably hit your goals.
• Resilient - frontier science breaks often; a negative result only stings if we don't learn from it.
• Sharp experimental instincts - you reach for the experiment that settles the question, and you'll drop an idea when clean data says to.
• Balanced - you explore new directions without letting the core programme slip.

• Competitive salary
  , benchmarked to UK industry and your experience.
• Share options for eligible employees - potentially significant for one of our earliest hires.
• Real flexibility - we judge results, not hours, and trust you to manage your own time.
• Genuine influence - a small, driven team where your work visibly shapes where the company goes.
• Excellent facilities and a friendly community - modern labs at the Cambridge Institute (Addenbrookes) with a full-service cafeteria, state-of-the-art facilities, well-kept green space and regular social events across the campus.
• Health insurance and Cycle to work scheme
  .

Better science comes from bringing different perspectives together, and we mean it. We welcome applicants from every background, work to keep our hiring as free of bias as we can, and support our people's growth regardless of who they are or where they're from. We'd love to hear from you.