Scientist I, Research &Development

Scientist I

Immunity Bio, Inc. is a commercial-stage biotechnology company developing cell and immunotherapy products that are designed to help strengthen each patient's natural immune system, potentially enabling it to outsmart the disease and eliminate cancerous or infected cells. We envision a day when we no longer fear cancer, but can conquer it, thanks to the biological wonder that is the human immune system.

Our scientists are working to develop novel therapies that harness that inherent power by amplifying both branches of the immune system, attacking cancerous or infected cells today while building immunological memory for tomorrow. The goal: to reprogram the patient's immune system and treat the host rather than just the disease.

The Scientist I position will aid in the development and generation of new novel therapeutics/vaccines intended for pre-clinical and cGMP-manufacturing use. The role is responsible for performing research and development work related to numerous expression system-based immunotherapies, including viral vector platforms and mRNA. The Scientist I will perform bio-assay development experiments, careful documentation of methods and materials and results, writing technical reports, and effectively communicating findings to other teams.

This role is also responsible for aiding in the design and execution of product development experiments that lead to a robust and scalable clinical and commercial production process.

Essential functions include:

• Support research and development projects designed to generate pre-clinical material characterization, design of experiments (DOE), and defining critical process parameters.
• Identify and propose process optimization, continuous improvement projects and support initiatives.
• Support scale-up and technology transfer of new products and processes into cGMP manufacturing.
• Apply analytical skills to evaluate and interpret complex issues and data sets utilizing multiple sources of qualitative information and quantitative research.
• Support product specific data trending programs.
• Author and review technical protocols/reports, tech transfer documents, SOPs and MBRs.
• Lead and participate in team meetings and present results intra- and interdepartmentally.
• Provide support and technical insight for process-related issues and investigations, including non-conformance product impact assessments, root cause analysis, change control, and process optimization.
• Design and execute experiments, and compile results/statistical data analysis for scaled-down lab processes to enable process troubleshooting, support process robustness and characterization studies, and develop process improvements
• Bench-scale study ownership including the collection and interpretation of data from bench scale experiments with minimal oversight.
• Conducts daily tasks associated with development and characterization of novel human therapeutics.
• Responsible for laboratory equipment maintenance programs.
• Meticulously maintains experimental records with detailed observations.
• Conducts additional laboratory work and projects, as needed.
• Support preclinical studies by evaluating basic health status of animals and reporting abnormalities to the appropriate personnel
• Support the lab by performing activities such as maintaining lab equipment, ordering and stocking supplies, and maintaining inventory
• Performs ad-hoc and cross-functional duties and/or projects as assigned to support business needs and provide developmental opportunities.

Education & experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Cell Biology, Microbiology, Biology, or other life science or related field with 10+ years of experience including direct experience in upstream and/or downstream processes
• Master's degree in Cell Biology, Microbiology, Biology, or other life science or related field with 8+ years of experience in biopharmaceutical-based process development and/or GMP manufacturing operations including direct experience in upstream processes required; or
• PhD degree in Cell Biology, Microbiology, Biology, or other life science or related field with 1+ experience in biopharmaceutical-based process development and/or GMP manufacturing operations including direct experience in upstream processes preferred.
• Experience with molecular cloning, human tissue culture, and viral vector construction required
• Experience working with viruses in a BSL-2 viral laboratory required
• Experience in molecular biology/cloning, RNA biology, cell biology, tissue culture and cell-based methods, with a proven track record of achievement required

Knowledge, skills, & abilities:

• Strong initiative, problem solving, attention to detail, ability to effectively organize and prioritize are required.
• Ability to work with Quality and Manufacturing groups to ensure a compliant manufacturing environment and work collaboratively with other team members to support the transfer of biological drug processes from R&D/Product Development to Manufacturing.
• Adapts to rapidly changing work environment and…