Flagship Pioneering
FL114: Senior Research Associate/ Associate Scientist, Therapeutics Engineering
About FL114:
FL114 is an innovative, privately held biotechnology company developing our novel epigenetic editing platform to treat a variety of diseases through precise, tunable modification of gene expression. FL114 was founded by Flagship Pioneering, where companies such as Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB) were conceived and created. With a strong emphasis on innovation and experimental execution, FL114 cultivates a highly dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.
About the Role:
FL114, Inc. is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Senior Research Associate / Associate Scientist to join our Therapeutics Engineering team. The successful candidate will play a critical role in the design and execution of high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns, maintaining cell culture, and performing molecular biology techniques to support early-stage drug discovery efforts. This is a hands-on laboratory-based position offering the opportunity to work in a dynamic, team-oriented environment at the forefront of therapeutic innovation.
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform cell-based and biochemical high-throughput screening assays to identify and characterize epigenetic regulators.
- Culture and maintain a wide variety of mammalian cell lines, including transient and stable transfections – (Lentiviral work – packaging virus, titering virus, transducing cell lines with selection).
- Execute routine and advanced molecular biology techniques, including plasmid preparation, RT-qPCR, cloning, RNA/DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, oligo pool work, etc.
- Analyze and interpret assay data, maintain accurate laboratory notebooks, and communicate results clearly in team meetings.
- Assist in the optimization and automation of screening protocols, including use of liquid handling systems and plate readers.
- Support assay development, validation, and troubleshooting efforts in collaboration with other team members.
- Ensure adherence to laboratory safety practices and regulatory guidelines.
Required Skills / Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field.
- Strong hands-on experience with cell culture (adherent and suspension), including aseptic technique and routine maintenance of immortalized and primary cells.
- Proficiency in molecular biology techniques such as cloning, PCR, and nucleic acid extraction.
- Familiarity with HTS platforms, plate-based assay design, and use of automation tools and software.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and team collaboration skills.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multitasking environment.
- Prefer experience with CRISPR editing or viral vector production; CRISPR screening
- Prefer familiarity with data analysis tools such as GraphPad Prism, Benchling or SnapGene.
- Prefer prior experience working in drug discovery or pharmaceutical R&D.
At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.
About Flagship Pioneering:
Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps. Those big leaps in human health and sustainability exponentially accelerate scientific progress in areas ranging from cancer detection and treatment to nature-positive agriculture. What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our scientific founders, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and transform for the benefit of people and planet. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.
Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.
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Flagship Pioneering Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Office
55 Cambridge Parkway, Suite 800E, Cambridge, MA, United States, 02142
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