Associate Scientist / Scientist - NK Cells

- We: have a novel approach for manufacturing off-the-shelf natural killer cell-based cancer therapies, and a dynamic team in search of more scientific support.

- You: have extensive NK cell research experience and want to help change the world.

About the Associate Scientist or Scientist Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and collaborative researcher who can help us develop the next generation of cellular medicines by driving our NK cell therapeutic candidates through preclinical phase to IND. You'll work independently to design, run, and analyze key assays to characterize and optimize our products, and collaborate to develop the protocols for handling and scale-up of our immune cell manufacturing. As part of the core team, you'll have opportunities to grow outside of the lab by contributing to strategy and planning.

We're looking for a forward-thinking, adventurous scientist with a track record of success in the lab. Ideally this is someone who also brings to the table non-scientific abilities such as team-building, management, and literature communication. Domain expertise is essential, but so is the right mindset. As an early-stage company, our work is diverse and dynamic; we're looking for someone who will thrive in this environment. This means if you have previously been working with T cells rather than NK cells, we would still consider you!

Emphasis on independence means we’re looking for individuals who are highly organized and take pride in their project management abilities and documentation / communication of their work. You would be joining a small, tightly collaborative, and growing team where everyone's contributions are coupled to our translational work building a new generation of cancer therapies. As a perk, working directly with animals is not required for this position.

Joining ImmuneBridge

Our mission is to develop curative cancer therapies that are accessible to all. Our core technology drives the expansion of umbilical cord blood-derived immune stem cells to establish a novel, flexible, consistent, and abundant cellular source for immunotherapies.

We are a dynamic and ambitious startup, based in the Mission District, the heart of San Francisco. We are looking to build a diverse team of talented, creative, and highly motivated individuals to join our mission to revolutionize the landscape of oncology.

This is a great opportunity for life science professionals who are ambitious, keen to take on a lot of responsibility in the foundational stages of an exciting start-up, and driven to have a personal impact on the future of healthcare.

Essential functions of the Associate Scientist / Scientist role are:

- Execute existing cell culture process workflows to generate cells for in vitro experiments.

- Carry out high-throughput cell culture experiments to optimize existing and develop new processes — parallel screening of cell culture variations, tweaking unit operations, and trying out new cytokine combinations.

- Design and execute cell-based immunological assays including, but not restricted to, multicolor flow cytometry, cytotoxicity assays and quantification of cytokine secretion.

- Help with lab management, ordering reagents and optimizing workflows.

- Team management of junior researchers within the NK R&D team.

- Identify potential collaborations within industry / academia to enhance the cytotoxicity of our cells (e.g. engagers, novel CAR constructs).

- Monitor scientific literature / conference proceedings and communicate new findings to the team efficiently and effectively.

Responsibilities for this position will include:

- Execute research experiments with minimal guidance and supervision

- Work independently and collaboratively with other members of the scientific team

- Communicate effectively and present projects to other scientific staff members and independently to leadership for discussion

- Coordinate tasks across projects, demonstrating prioritization and planning

- Routine maintenance of mammalian cell lines

- Compile, organize, and analyze data

- Perform other related duties as required and/or assigned as needed, including some laboratory management work

To be considered, applicants must have all of the following:

- A strong background in immunology, with an in-depth understanding of human immune cell biology, differentiation and function.

- Extensive hands-on experience with primary immune cells and mastery of analytical techniques including flow cytometry, cytokine secretion, and cytotoxicity assays.

- PhD in immunology, cell biology, or a related field, OR Master's degree plus 3+ years in an industry position.

- Outstanding communication skills with the ability to build transparent and collaborative relationships across the company and with other stakeholders.

The strongest candidates will bring additional skills to the table, such as:

- Knowledge of NK cell differentiation and activation and a rigorous understanding of the current literature surrounding the uses of NK cells for allogeneic transplants.

- Proficiency with establishment and utilization of in vivo (mouse) oncology animal models for cell therapies, particularly NK cells, CAR-NK cells, or CAR-T cell therapies.

- Experience with genetic modification of primary immune cells, including viral transduction or nuclease-based modalities.

- Expertise in advanced phenotypic and genomic characterization of NK or T cell populations with techniques including mass cytometry, or advanced NGS techniques such as single-cell RNA-seq.

- A track record of developing, optimizing, and documenting cellular workflows and assays for translation of cell therapies.

- Industry experience, particularly in development, translation or manufacturing of cell-based therapies.

- Experience with hematopoiesis, such as working with umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSCs or HSPCs) or differentiating mature cells from HSCs or progenitors.

Benefits of working at ImmuneBridge:

- High level of scientific freedom to drive innovation, collaborate, and grow cross-functionally

- Competitive salary, retirement plan and healthcare coverage, with potential for relocation assistance

- Flexible paid time off, sick leave, and remote work policies

- Paid family leave

- Opportunities to develop interdisciplinary skills

- Comprehensive onboarding

- Personal development program

- Opportunities for conference travel and company-sponsored professional development

- Espresso robot onsite, fancy coffee around the corner, and walking distance to numerous San Francisco culinary, gustatory, and libational delights

- Lunch provided onsite three days per week