Scientist II/Senior Scientist, Protein Sciences

The Company

Flagship Labs 112, Inc. (FL112) is revolutionizing sustainable water solutions by harnessing cutting-edge science to address global water scarcity. Our mission is to create scalable, sustainable solutions that reduce dependence on traditional water sources, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and support communities worldwide. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across biology, engineering, and environmental science, we are pioneering advancements that redefine access to sustainable freshwater.

FL112 is a well-funded, early-stage biotechnology company founded through Flagship Pioneering’s venture creation engine, where companies such as Moderna Inc. and Invaio Sciences were conceived and created. Since Flagship’s founding in 2000, the firm has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $90 billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents. 

The Role

We are seeking a talented and driven biologist with expertise in self-assembling proteins, membrane proteins, protein secretion, and water-interacting proteins to join our multidisciplinary research team. The ideal candidate will bring a deep understanding of protein engineering, molecular cloning, and advanced protein techniques to develop and optimize materials for water harvesting. A key focus of this role will be the development and execution of freezing assays to investigate the properties of ice nucleating proteins, critical for enhancing our water capture technologies. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research that merges fundamental science with practical, real-world applications.

Key Responsibilities

1. Protein Engineering & Expression
   • Design, clone, and express genes encoding proteins in various expression systems, ensuring high-yield production.
   • Develop innovative protein constructs and engineered variants tailored for enhanced performance in ice nucleation applications.
2. Purification & Characterization
   • Purify proteins using advanced chromatography techniques and other purification methods to ensure high yield and stability.
   • Characterize protein structure and function, including cellular localization, binding affinities, self-assembly properties, and thermal stability.
   • Apply state of the art analytical techniques such as DLS, HPLC, and spectroscopic methods to assess size distribution, aggregation, and dispersion properties.
3. Functional Screening
   • Develop and execute ice nucleation assays to assess the efficiency and performance of novel proteins.
   • Establish and lead short- and long-term research strategies for functional screening of ice nucleating proteins.
   • Optimize assay conditions to improve reproducibility and sensitivity in real-world environmental conditions.
4. Integration & Collaboration
   • Collaborate with materials scientists and engineers to integrate biologically derived materials into functional sustainable solutions.
   • Conduct experimental troubleshooting and optimize processes for scalability and feasibility.
   • Work closely with interdisciplinary teams to translate fundamental research findings into scalable applications.
5. Documentation & Communication
   • Document and communicate research findings through detailed reports, presentations, and publications.
   • Prepare and deliver decision enabling research data packages to the leadership team.
   • Supervise and train junior research associate(s), fostering a collaborative and high-performance research environment.

Who you are

• Entrepreneurial scientist: You are a visionary scientist with a passion for innovation and real-world impact. You thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments where creativity and initiative are essential. You are not just a researcher—you are a builder, eager to pioneer novel scientific discoveries and transform them into practical solutions that address one of the world’s most pressing challenges: water scarcity. You excel at pushing boundaries, questioning conventional wisdom, and finding groundbreaking ways to apply science for meaningful change.
• Relentless Pioneer: You thrive in new and unknown territory – capable of charting comprehensive but actionable plans, executing rapidly and iteratively to make progress, and reliable in delivering decisive readouts on time.
• Team player: You flourish in collaborative work environments with other highly-skilled individuals. You readily celebrate your peers’ victories and support their challenges.
• Effective communicator: You not