Scientist/Senior Scientist, Oncology

About Empress Therapeutics

Empress is a privately-held early-stage biotech company advancing a proprietary platform to generate small molecule drugs faster and more predictably.

Empress is a product of Flagship Pioneering's venture creation engine, which has also given rise to companies such as Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT), Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Indigo Agriculture. Since 2000, Flagship has applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, all of which are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. In 2023, Flagship Pioneering was ranked 5th in North America on Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” list, an annual ranking of companies that are making the biggest strides across the world and in all sectors of the economy.

About the Role

We are seeking a creative and enthusiastic Scientist / Sr Scientist, Oncology to join the Immunology team at Empress Therapeutics. The mission of the Immunology team is to characterize the biological activity and translational path of Empress Therapeutics’ novel small molecule medicines, identifying their efficacy across disease areas and characterizing their mechanism of action to carry programs through IND submission. In this role, you will have the opportunity to initiate these activities in the oncology space, and participate in cross-functional teams to define and execute on the research and translational paths.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and utilize in vitro and in vivo oncology and immune-oncology models to investigate the activity and mechanism of action of small molecule drugs derived from Empress’ proprietary platform.
• Develop in-house and manage outsourced (academic and CRO) capabilities in oncology including in vivo tumor models, cell-based in vitro assays, and biomarker assays for discovery, mechanism of action and translational studies.

• Contribute creatively to the company’s R&D strategy and initiate decision-making studies to influence the direction of the company.

• Collaborate closely with scientists in the Biology and Drug Discovery teams to facilitate the success of projects and assist others outside of own project with troubleshooting and method development.
• Communicate proposals and results to scientific teams and leadership in a clear and compelling manner.
• Exemplify the flexibility, speed, knowledgeability and innovation critical for success within an early-stage biotech.

Key Requirements:

• PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cancer Biology, Immunology or related discipline with 5+ years of post-graduate research experience and solid scientific knowledge in the field of immune-oncology or oncology.
• Extensive experience with in vivo tumor models, ideally including orthotopic, syngeneic, and PDX, including study design, execution and analysis of multi-parameter readouts (flow cytometry, cytokines/metabolites, RNAseq)
• Experience with relevant in vitro assays for oncology and immuno-oncology, utilizing diverse readouts including molecular biology methods, flow cytometry, ELISA, MSD/Luminex, or RNAseq
• Experience with translational studies in vitro and in vivo, including identification, characterization and validation of biomarkers for cancer progression or immune activation
• Ability to think creatively, act independently, take initiative in planning and executing on a scientific strategy, and actively engage with teammates and collaborators for problem-solving and project coordination
• Self-driven, committed to team success, proactive in communication

Preferred Qualification

• Experience with checkpoint inhibitor biology and therapeutics
• Experience utilizing RNAseq to interrogate mechanism of action, and collaborating with computations biologists

What We’ll Offer You

• Comprehensive, competitive healthcare and dental coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, vision coverage through VSP, family leave, paid time off, 401k retirement plan, disability and life insurance, and fully covered parking/commuter benefits.
• A dynamic early-stage work environment and highly interdisciplinary, talented, and collaborative team.
• Opportunities to invent and discover.

 

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or V