Scientist I

Company: Harvard University
Location: Boston
Posted on: May 3, 2025

Job Description:

About Us:The Wyss Institute's mission is to transform healthcare and the environment by emulating the way nature builds. We harness the imagination of academia and the focus of industry to translate ground-breaking technologies into commercial products that solve big problems. We support research that universities, companies, and venture capital firms don't fund because they view it as too risky. We prefer to use the word "challenging," and we love challenges.About you:You are a collaborative, impact-focused problem solver who wants to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to creating and commercializing novel approaches to global challenges in healthcare and sustainability. You want the opportunity to explore your scientific interests and apply your knowledge to tackle ambitious projects in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial-minded environment with resources and support from top-notch scientific, operations, and administrative professionals. You enjoy working with highly motivated, diverse teams and leveraging your expertise to create innovations that can change the world. You have a passion for translational research and want to contribute to innovations that can help improve the treatment of brain diseases.About the Role:The Wyss Institute's Brain Targeting Program (BTP), co-led by James Gorman, M.D., Ph.D. and Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., is developing brain delivery technologies that enable the development of safer and more effective brain-targeted therapeutics for diverse brain diseases. We are looking for a talented Scientist to support the development of our novel brain shuttle target identification and validation platform. Reporting to the Senior Director of Translational R&D and the Novel Shuttle Target Lead, you will work as part of a collaborative team to identify novel shuttle targets and contribute to their validation. Your role will involve optimizing and developing assays for protein expression analysis as well as in vitro and in vivo transport validation to advance brain-targeted drug delivery efforts.What you'll do:

• Execute on assigned projects in the development and optimization of the brain shuttle target identification and validation.
• Perform and optimize sample preparation for proteomics, including cell type isolation, tissue homogenization, digestion, and enrichment, and coordinate with internal or external mass spectrometry facilities.
• Design and execute protein expression validation assays, including Western blotting, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, and FACS, adapting protocols as needed for novel targets and reagents.
• Participate in the analysis of multi-omics datasets (RNA-seq and proteomics) to help prioritize target proteins for further validation based on expression profiles and predicted function.
• Mentor and train less experienced team members or academic interns as needed.
• Present experimental results and project updates at internal meetings and contribute to recommending next steps for experiments.
• Demonstrate a commitment to teamwork, scientific rigor, and collaboration within and across teams.What you'll need:
  • Bachelor's degree in neuroscience, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or related field required.
  • A minimum of four years of hands-on experience in many of the following: proteomics, cell culture, rodent handling, and molecular and cellular biology techniques such as ELISA, Western blotting, confocal imaging, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).Additional Qualifications and Skills:
    • A PhD in neuroscience, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry or a related field is strongly preferred.
    • Experience with RNA-Seq and proteomics datasets, microvessel isolation, cell type isolation, and biotinylation is helpful but not required.
    • Experience with antibody/peptide/AAV transport assays.
    • Proficiency with personal computers and applicable software packages (Microsoft Office, R, Prism, flowJo, and others).Why you'll like working with us:At the Wyss Institute, you're a member of a supportive, dynamic community that is united by its shared goal of changing the world through groundbreaking technology development and commercialization. We encourage your professional growth and development through mentorship and tuition reimbursement to support continued learning, and more. We also support your physical, financial, and mental well-being through generous time off benefits, gym reimbursements, and other programs offered through Harvard.Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging:As a collaborative organization, we at the Wyss Institute know that great innovation happens when diverse perspectives come together to solve problems. We are committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness both in and out of the lab.EEO Statement:We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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Keywords: Harvard University, Boston , Scientist I, Other , Boston, Massachusetts