FL120 | Cambridge, MA (Senior) Scientist, Optical Technologies

Cambridge, MA USA

Help Expand What We Can See in Biology

At Flagship Pioneering, we build companies around bold scientific ideas. Flagship Labs is our innovation foundry where teams originate, test, and scale breakthrough technologies that can become new bioplatforms.

At Flagship Labs 120, we’re assembling a multidisciplinary team to invent, build, and rapidly test innovative technologies for observing biological systems. We are looking for a scientist with deep hands-on experience in optics and vibrational spectroscopy to join the team and help turn promising experimental opportunities into practical capabilities for the platform.

This is a zero-to-one role for an engineering-minded scientist who enjoys turning new ideas into practical experiments. We are looking for someone who favors fast, practical, hands-on solutions and will help shape the scientific direction and experimental foundation of a new venture through work across instrumentation, biology, and external collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments using advanced optical and vibrational spectroscopy measurement techniques to characterize biological systems.
• Own a portfolio of internal and external experiments, coordinating work across CROs, university core facilities, academic collaborators, and internal teams.
• Develop, refine, and document experimental workflows, protocols, and SOPs to improve measurement quality, reproducibility, and operational efficiency.
• Troubleshoot instrumentation, identify sources of experimental variability, and improve data quality and reproducibility.
• Stay current across relevant fields to identify promising new experiments and applications.
• Contribute to the scientific strategy and technical roadmap of a founding-stage venture.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD (or equivalent experience) in physics, biophysics, chemistry, engineering, bioengineering, or a related discipline.
• Deep hands-on experience developing and applying optical microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy techniques such as Raman microscopy, IR spectroscopy, or related methods.
• Strong experimental background and demonstrated ability to independently execute and troubleshoot complex experiments.
• Solid understanding of the physics and engineering of optical instrumentation.
• Strong scientific judgment and the ability to distinguish meaningful biological signals from technical artifacts.

Preferred

• Experience developing or optimizing advanced Raman spectroscopy (e.g. CARS, SRS) or IR spectroscopy (e.g. photothermal IR), or related techniques.
• Experience working with biological samples such as cells or tissue. Familiarity with cell culture or live cell assays is a plus.
• Familiarity with molecular or cell biology sufficient to understand literature and adopt new experimental protocols.
• Programming or scripting experience (Python, MATLAB, or similar) for instrument automation and experimental data analysis.
• Experience working with external collaborators, university core facilities, or CROs.
• Previous experience in startup, translational, or highly interdisciplinary research environments.

Why Join FL120?

This is an opportunity to join a founding scientific team exploring an entirely new experimental platform. Success will require curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. You'll play an important role in exploring new ideas, establishing new experimental capabilities, and helping shape the scientific direction of a company from its earliest days.

As the company grows, this role will help shape the evolution of our platform and broader technical strategy.

We welcome applications from experienced scientists as well as exceptional postdoctoral researchers or advanced graduate students interested in either full-time or part-time opportunities.

ABOUT FLAGSHIP PIONEERING

Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated more than 100 companies. Many of these companies have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges:…