Principal Scientist - Cell Therapy Translational Research

Position Summary

The candidate will join the Cellular Therapy Translational Research group in Seattle, WA and will support cell therapy development programs in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The successful candidate will be an experienced, self‑motivated, and resourceful researcher responsible for driving and implementing translational development strategies and clinical biomarker plans for BMS cellular therapy clinical studies. The individual will work with contract research organizations, internal and external collaborators, to design, execute, and interpret translationally focused experiments and analyses.

Activities include biomarker identification, generation and analysis of data that support pharmacodynamic evaluation and mechanism of action in the clinical trial setting to inform development of cell therapy products, as well as contribute to relevant global regulatory submission activities to advance cellular therapeutics.

• Develop and implement end‑to‑end translational research strategies for cell therapy clinical trials
• Partner with biostatisticians and computational biologists to provide timely analysis and communication of data and present its context and impact
• Develop concepts and mechanism of action hypotheses identifying distinguishing characteristics of BMS cell therapy products alone or in combination with other therapies
• Maintain a deep understanding of biomarker assays including flow cytometry, transcriptomics, and proteomics and their application in the clinical trial setting
• Independently manage internal projects in cell therapy drug development
• Serve on internal cross‑functional project teams and committees as scientific functional lead
• Oversee and manage CROs and academic collaborators
• Communicate regularly, prepare and make presentations within the department, externally, and to internal governance committees as required
• Contribute to the writing of investigator brochures, IND applications, clinical protocols, regulatory annual reports, and other regulatory documents when appropriate
• Support regulatory submissions and interactions, writing/reviewing translational sections for global regulatory responses and queries

• Bachelor’s Degree and 8+ years of academic and/or industry experience
• Master’s Degree and 6+ years of academic and/or industry experience
• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the life sciences and 4+ years of academic and/or industry experience

• M.S. or Ph.D. in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, or a related discipline
• M.S. with 10+ years or Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience, preferably in biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry settings, or demonstrated deep experience in immunology or cell therapy academic research
• Expertise in immunology or cellular biology (required) and knowledge of fundamentals of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (desirable)
• Familiarity with the drug development process from IND filing to market authorization in an industry setting (desirable)
• Expertise in developing and analyzing biomarkers for clinical trials
• Experience analyzing high‑content datasets such as transcriptomic and proteomic data
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, evidenced by strong ability to interact with and influence research scientists, project teams, outside collaborators and commercial vendors
• Detail‑oriented with the ability to identify and implement creative solutions
• Ability to prioritize and manage time efficiently

Seattle, WA: $152,360 – $184,628 base salary. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities may be available based on eligibility.

• Health Coverage:
  Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care
• Well‑Being Support: BMS Well‑Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Financial Protection: 401(k) plan, short‑ and long‑term disability, life and accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, and identity‑theft benefit
• Paid Time Off: vacation, national holidays, sick leave, volunteer days, and optional holidays (depending on eligibility)
• Work‑Life Benefits: flexible time off, unlimited paid sick time, summer hours flexibility, and annual global shutdown between Christmas and New Year

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations, and ongoing support. Applicants may request accommodations via  For additional information, see  For California residents, see