What if…you could join an organization that creates, resources, and builds life sciences companies that invent breakthrough technologies in order to transform health care and sustainability?
Flagship Labs 80 (FL80) is an early-stage biotechnology company with an ambitious and exciting mission: to reimagine drug discovery and vaccine design through the integration of computational and experimental innovation. The company is developing a revolutionary approach to this challenge and recruiting a team of top-tier scientists to build what it believes will be a powerful, first-in-category R&D platform.
FL80 is a product of Flagship Pioneering’s venture creation engine, which has also given rise to companies such as Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), and Editas Medicines (NASDAQ: EDIT). Since Flagship’s founding in 2000, the firm has originated and fostered the development of more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $34 billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.
Position Summary
We are seeking a Scientist or Senior Scientist with strong expertise in structural biology to model and interpret protein structure and protein-ligand interactions for biological discovery and the development of novel health interventions. The ideal candidate will have a track record of success in deriving insights from the intersection of structural modeling and experimental data – particularly as regards antibody-antigen and antibody-hapten interactions and/or immune system function. Experience in de novo antibody modeling and/or machine learning is a strong plus. An essential element of the role will be the ability to collaborate closely with other R&D scientists while adapting to and interpreting new experimental findings and providing experimental guidance in keeping with the company’s objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Work closely with molecular biologists and other computational scientists within and beyond FL80 to design data-generating experiments for effective modeling
- Build and tune models to interpret emerging data in the context of key scientific questions
- Identify relevant external datasets and repurpose as necessary to support company objectives
- Communicate insights and conclusions to the scientific team and executive management
- Develop relationships with Flagship Pioneering’s data science community and manage external consultants as needed
Minimum Qualifications
- Ph.D. or equivalent in computational biology, biochemistry, immunology, or a related field
- Deep understanding of structural biology including protein-protein and protein-hapten interactions
- Experience with homology modeling and de novo loop modeling
- Experience with virtual docking and interpretation of docked structures in light of experimental data
- Scripting ability (e.g. Python, R, Perl) and knowledge of best practices
- Demonstrated post-PhD experience using structural and computational biology approaches to solve biological challenges
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with homology and de novo antibody modeling
- Experience with pharmacophore search
- Experience with distributed or cloud computing
- Experience with molecular dynamics
- Experience with machine learning including reinforcement learning
- Experience in immune repertoire analysis or vaccine design
Values and Behaviors
Flagship is an experiment in institutional, entrepreneurial, innovation practiced in the context of a small company with an insurgent mindset. We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidate.