Senior Research Scientist - Molecular Biology

About Serinus

What we do: Serinus Bio is a seed-stage biotech company tackling one of the toughest problems in cancer therapy – treatment resistance. We pair cutting edge AI technology with in-house experimental cell biology to map how tumors evolve to evade modern anti-cancer treatments; we then identify novel synthetic vulnerabilities that these resistance mechanisms induce, forming the foundation for first-in-class therapeutic programs. The company currently focuses on developing therapeutics that restore sensitivity to cell cycle & DNA damage repair inhibitors in people living with advanced breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Our goal is to turn cancer treatments into cancer cures.

Who we are: The Serinus Bio team is a multi-disciplinary and passionate group of computational and experimental researchers. Our philosophy is that cross-functional teams can solve the toughest challenges in cancer drug development. Helping patients is our beacon, data is our guide, and crazy ideas are our internal combustion engine. Serinus is supported by top investors including Y Combinator and advised by world-leading academics and top drug developers. Join our team and help us overcome cancer treatment resistance!

About the role

As our Senior Molecular Biologist, you will work directly with the company’s CSO and Director of Biology to design and execute key experiments to support the strategic development of the company and its partnerships. As our Molecular Biologist you will play a central role in deconvolving drug resistance mechanisms using modern tools of molecular biology, including CRISPR screens, endogenous genome engineering, mutagenesis experiments, and proteomics assays. You will have substantial creative independence and help us guide the scientific development of the company and its technology.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Designing, implementing and executing innovative CRISPR-based chemogenetic screens to identify mechanisms of drug response and resistance.
• Engineering cell lines (exogenously or endogenously) to express new (e.g., Cas9) and/or recombinant proteins (e.g., Flag-tag for proteomic assays).
• Performing affinity purification assays and overseeing off-site proteomic analysis.
• Designing novel in situ reporter assays to test the effect of cellular perturbagens (e.g., gene knockdown, small molecules, etc.)
• Interfacing with computational team members to inform and guide analysis and modeling of generated data.
• Proposing and piloting innovative experimental strategies to understand how cells evolve under the selective pressure of anti-cancer treatments.
• Managing vendors and external contractors to efficiently achieve goals.
• Showcase work at top conferences & journals – scientific advancement is at our heart!

Desired qualifications

• A PhD in genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry or similar. (Post-doc and/or industry experience is a plus!)
• Experience with end-to-end CRISPR screening protocols including guide design, library construction, transfection, culture conditions, data generation, and analysis.
• Experience with exogenous and endogenous cell engineering.
• Experience designing and conducting experiments as an independent researcher.
• A passion for creative and rigorous science that pushes the boundaries of knowledge.
• Familiarity with contemporary techniques for protein-protein interaction mapping such as AP-MS and Turbo ID is a plus!
• Some experience with in vivo animal work and flow cytometry is a plus!
• Ability to work in our labs in New York City.

What we offer

• Salary range: $90K-$120K
• Equity range: 0.3-0.6%
• Health, dental and vision insurance and commuting benefits.
• Unlimited PTO days & Paid Family Leave.
• A fast growth trajectory with us at Serinus!
• An office in the center of New York City’s burgeoning biotech hub.
• An energetic team excited to solve cancer!

Why you should join us

More than 90% of cancer deaths are due to treatment resistance. You’ll be joining a fast-paced, mission driven, highly collaborative and tight-knit team working every day to help these patients.

Our founding story: Adam and Max founded Serinus Bio out of their PhDs at MIT. The founders met on their first day at MIT, and Max – a statistical geneticist by training – convinced Adam – an AI expert – that cancer was the place to apply advanced computation. Through their work together, Adam and Max realized that cancer patients who develop treatment resistance are dramatically underserved in the current drug development paradigm because the heterogeneity of mutations that lead to resistance does not create patient populations that traditional pharma considers “economically viable”. So they founded Serinus Bio to change that paradigm.

Our traction: We are backed by top tech-bio investors including Y Combinator, Vertex Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments. Our scientific advisory board includes world-leading cancer researchers including William Hahn (Dana Farber, Harvard) and Trey Ideker (UCSD). Our technology is supported by publications in Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Biotechnology, Cancer Cell, and other top journals. In addition to internal programs, we have partnerships with leading Pharma and biotech companies to accelerate treatments for the people who need them!

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Serinus Biosciences provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws.