Research Associate, Discovery and Engineering

Company Summary:

Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company building the next generation of biological therapeutics. Inspired by nature, our mission is to transform patient lives by unlocking the power of biological therapeutics with a new mimic-discovery platform.

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. 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. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

The Role: 

We are currently seeking a motivated and experienced Research Associate to join our dynamic and collaborative Antibody Discovery and Engineering team. The successful candidate will be responsible for executing a variety of molecular biology workflows and experiments, interface with a growing automation stack, contribute to a growing set of capabilities, and participate in the identification of novel therapeutic compounds.  This is an exciting and integral role within Metaphore, requiring a resourceful team player with strong interpersonal skills and a proactive mindset to support our discovery and AI/ML design efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Execute experiments using an array of standard molecular biology techniques such as cloning, PCR, purification of DNA and preparation of NGS samples from various display systems.
• Gain experience in phage display and yeast surface display to enable discovery and improvement of therapeutics. Implement modern molecular biology techniques, including golden gate and Gibson Assembly cloning methods and design, ELISA, and various types of sequence analyses.
• Integration of standard workflows into automated liquid handling via interaction and engagement with the automation team.
• Gain understanding of therapeutic team workflows and participate in the interpretation and planning of discovery efforts.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s and 2+ years industry experience in Molecular Biology, or a Master’s degree in Biochemistry or a related field.
• Significant hands-on experience with modern molecular biology techniques.
• Ability to communicate via presentations and other verbal and written formats with scientific clarity.
• Excellent attention to detail and solid organizational skills.
• Maintain precise experimental records in an electronic laboratory notebook, ensuring data integrity and compliance with company policies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with phage display or yeast display technology
• Experience using DNA design software (Geneious, Benchling)
• Experience running ELISA, competitive ELISA, ligand binding assays, or other similar in vitro assays
• Experience with biophysical characterization of macromolecules (DSF, SEC-MALS etc.)
• Experience in fluidics, emulsion PCR, QPCR, flow cytometry, and/or FACS/MACS
• Experience with phage display of antibodies and peptides, or other display platform (yeast surface display, mRNA display)

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated, adaptable, and detail-oriented individual to contribute to and shape the future directions of our antibody discovery efforts. The successful candidate will possess a desire to continue learning, a commitment to achieve excellence, and a passion to make a positive impact in our organization.

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.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies:  Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates.  The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team.   Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.