Scientist​/Senior Scientist, Genetic Engineering

Scientist / Senior Scientist, Genetic Engineering

• Full-time position
• Competitive compensation (Salary, Benefits & Options)
• 430 E 29th Street, New York, NY

Waypoint Bio a venture-backed biotech startup innovating in spatial and computational biology and their application to advancing cancer therapies. Our leading focus is the development of next generation cell therapies for solid tumors. Our proprietary platform overcomes a major obstacle — the tradeoff between fast but inaccurate in vitro experiments and more accurate but slow and expensive in vivo approaches — that holds back traditional cell therapy preclinical development.

Combining spatial pooled screening, in silico engineering, and machine learning, we obtain both depth and breadth when screening cell therapy candidates: speed without compromising on in vivo accuracy. Our team is highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and committed to developing breakthrough therapies to benefit patients’ lives.

We are seeking a highly-motivated, rigorous, and creative scientist who thrives in a fast-paced collaborative environment. In this position, you will design new screens for novel T cell therapies, manufacture those cell therapies, and work collaboratively to test their function in complex animal models. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise designing and using genetic engineering tools — such as lentivirus, AAVs, virus-like particles, or lipid nanoparticles — for both in vitro genetic editing and directly in animal models.

This person will also have technical experience working with immune cells, and conceptual knowledge of pooled screening approaches. Our high-throughput screening platform creates a unique opportunity for inventive minds to design & test novel ideas for better-engineered cell therapies. We seek broadly knowledgeable and creative thinkers who bring together ideas from disparate areas of biology to make the most of this opportunity.

The role reports directly to our Chief Scientific Officer, David Phizicky.

• Design, build, and test hundreds of innovative cell therapy designs for solid tumors — using and improving on Waypoint's spatial pooled screening platform.
• Compare different CAR T designs using viral & non-viral engineering approaches, followed by in vitro assays.
• Design and test novel genetic engineering tools for both mouse and human immune cells.
• Optimize Waypoint’s spatial pooled screening technology in different tissue types.
• Provide conceptual input on in vivo experimental design and interpretation in a team setting.
• Actively engage in prioritizing key milestones and developing appropriate timelines.
• Keep detailed scientific records in an electronic lab notebook and actively contribute towards the organization of the lab.

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Synthetic Biology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, or a related field. Alternatively, Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree with equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of academic or industry experience working with genetic engineering tools in mammalian cells (e.g. lentivirus, AAV, CRISPR, LNP-based systems, recombinases, etc).
• High degree of expertise in molecular cloning (e.g. Gibson cloning), RNA/DNA purification, and preparation of NGS libraries.
• Practical knowledge of the immune cell therapy field, with a focus on T cell therapies.
• An excellent scientific track record with published papers in relevant areas.
• Superb organizational abilities and precise scientific record keeping in electronic lab notebooks.

• Hands-on experience designing, building, and testing immune cell therapies using in vitro assays and animal models.
• Expertise in pooled screening approaches.
• Knowledge of the interplay between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment.
• Experience with multiplexed immunofluorescence or other spatial biology approaches in FFPE tissues.