Senior Scientist, Research

Summary                                                                                         

Visterra, Inc. is seeking to hire a Senior Scientist with strong expertise in immunology and a deep understanding of immune-related diseases, along with broad experience in the discovery and development of antibody-based therapeutics.

This individual will play a key role in drug discovery programs by conceiving, developing, and implementing assays to support the discovery and validation of therapeutic antibody candidates. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team player, an effective manager, a critical thinker, and a clear communicator. The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in immunology, biology, biochemistry, or a related field, along with a minimum of 3 years of post-graduate research experience in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting. Prior experience managing early-career research scientists is required.

This is a full-time, on-site position located at Visterra’s headquarters in Waltham, MA.

Responsibilities                                                                                         

• Design and execute experiments involving immunization strategies, antibody library generation, antibody engineering, and in vitro/in vivo characterization of antibody-antigen interactions.
• Provide scientific leadership on project-based team, advancing therapeutic programs from conception through pre-clinical studies.
• Effectively contributes to project strategy development by demonstrating a strong understanding of target biology and aligning experimental approaches with overall program goals.
• Independently and critically analyze scientific results, troubleshoot methods, and conceive creative solutions and workflows to address challenges.
• Document, analyze and interpret data for internal decision making, publications, presentations, patents and regulatory filings.
• Develop research plans and manage multiple workflows and
• Manage activities at contract research organizations (CROs).
• Maintain expertise in the field by staying current to relevant literature and attending relevant conferences.

 Requirements                                                                                         

• A Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in Immunology, Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, or a related field, with a minimum of three years of post-graduate research experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience working with immune-related diseases, with a strong understanding of disease biology relevant to therapeutic development.
• Expertise in antibody discovery, including protein engineering, expression and purification, and automation of screening and characterization workflows.
• Skilled in designing and executing in vitro and in vivo studies to investigate disease biology and assess efficacy, PK, PD, and mechanism of action of drug candidates.
• Strong data analysis skills, with the ability to interpret complex experimental results and draw meaningful conclusions.
• Excellent scientific communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to clearly present data and concepts in meetings, reports, and publications.
• Self-motivated and capable of independent work in a laboratory setting, while also contributing effectively to collaborative team environments.

 Other Qualifications                                                                                         

• Experience   with antibody discovery platforms, such as phage display, yeast display, and next-generation sequencing (NGS), as well as antibody binding characterization techniques such as biolayer interferometry (BLI) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).
• Experience with flow cytometry (FACS) and a range of immunological techniques, such as ELISA, multiplex cytokine assays, and immune cell profiling.
• Experience with high-throughput automation technologies, such as a Tecan liquid handling robot.
• A proven track record of working in a dynamic team of scientists, early-career research associates

Company                                                                                     

Visterra is a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to developing innovative antibody-based therapies for the treatment of patients with kidney, immune-mediated and other hard-to-treat diseases. Our proprietary technology platform enables the design and engineering of precision antibody-based product candidates that specifically bind to, and modulate, key disease targets. Applying this technology to disease targets that are not adequately addressed by traditional therapeutic approaches, we are developing a robust pipeline of novel therapies for patients with unmet needs. Visterra’s pipeline has multiple clinical-stage assets and one approved therapeutic, sibeprenlimab.

As a member of the Otsuka family of companies, we are uniquely positioned as a small, dynamic, nimble and innovative organization where individuals and teams are empowered to make big impacts – while benefiting from the support, strength, stability and long-term perspective of a 100-year-old global company. Visterra has approximately 105 employees and is located in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Visterra provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.