Principal Scientist

Job Summary

Rakuten Medical is looking for a highly motivated individual to join the Translational Sciences. The candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary research team and directly responsible for designing and executing scientific plans to characterize the innate and adaptive immune responses to clinical and preclinical assets using clinical and nonclinical samples. 

The candidate is expected to have prior drug development experience with advancing molecules into IND and can strategically map scientific data packages to value to the asset and support the company goals.  The ideal candidate will have deep understanding of biological mechanisms of cancer, especially cancer immunology, and will show clear strategic thinking for the translation of basic research into drug development activities.  The ideal candidate will be expected to be hands-on in the lab and exhibit technical proficiency with a broad range of laboratory technologies to evaluate in vitro pharmacology and biological mechanisms of action, including multiplex immunohistochemistry and image analysis, as well as other immunophenotyping techniques such as flow cytometry, MSD, transcriptomic assays, etc. 

This individual will be expected to participate and present data at weekly research meetings, and interface with other key functions such as TechOps, Biologics, and Protein Engineering in a matrix-style setting. As the scientific and technical lead for various projects and programs, this candidate is also expected maintain current knowledge in the field and execute new and novel techniques as needed and as it pertains to preclinical research. In alignment with the Rakuten Medical company culture, the individual will be expected to perform these duties in a highly collaborative manner and will have the opportunity to learn and grow in other functions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead immuno-oncology programs and projects to deepen understanding of clinical assets or advancing molecules into IND.
• Design and execute experimental assays such as multiplex immunohistochemistry and image analysis, flow cytometry, DNA/RNA seq and transcriptomic analysis, MLR or other related assays primary human immune cells, etc. to evaluate mechanism of action of clinical and preclinical molecules and treatments.
• Acquire, analyze, and present experimental data derived from clinical and nonclinical samples. Draw meaningful conclusions and propose future actions for further development.
• Contributing to scientific ideas and evaluating key hypotheses that advance innovation at the company with the development of new technologies, assets, and platforms that support the development of new therapeutics.
• Author protocols, data sheets, reports, SOPs, and other documentation.
• Participate and provide input into the optimization of workflows related to the lab activities.
• Participate in the identification and evaluation of new equipment and technology related bioassay activities.
• Assist in training and mentoring other staff members.
• Present data and summaries at weekly team meetings, ensuring effective communication of ideas and results, and proactively identify and suggest solutions in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Desired Education, Skills and Experience

• Ph.D. in immunology, cell biology, or cancer biology with 5+ years of relevant immuno-oncology industry experience. 
• Proven ability to lead and guide preclinical programs based on scientific characterization of therapies.  Strategize, design, and execute experimental and scientific plans for pharmacological characterization of treatments and therapies.  Demonstrated experience leading programs in a pharmaceutical setting with successful translation into the clinic.
• Deep knowledge and mastery of multi-color immunohistochemistry including panel design, validation, image capture and analysis to characterize the immune contexture of the tumor microenvironment with human and preclinical samples.
• Deep understanding of immunology, especially cancer immunology, as demonstrated by publications in top tier scientific journals, to independently design experiments and select markers to characterize immunological responses to treatment, with direct translatability between preclinical models to humans.
• Knowledge and experience with developing in vitro assays with primary human immune cells to characterize responses to treatment, e.g. MLR (mixed lymphocyte reaction) assays, developing in vitro models of tumor immune microenvironment, organoid cultures will be valued. 
• Knowledge and experience with differentiating primary human immune cells such as T cells, NK cells, monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells in order to perform functional characterizations such as immune cell activation, immune suppression, antigen presentation, and other similar types of immune cell profiling in co-cultures or complex PBMC mixtures will be valued. 
• Knowledge and experience with cellular (e.g., multiplex flow cytometry, cytotoxicity) and molecular (e.g., ELISA, MSD, transcriptomic) techniques will be a plus.
• Excellent statistical and algorithmic knowledge.
• Experience working with data from clinical trials and health care data.
• Previous experience in the field of precision medicine is preferred.
• Strong proficiency in managing workflows, priorities, and deadlines and managing multiple projects as part of a small team.
• Willing to work with a fast pace technical operations / development group to ensure deliverables are met on-time.
• The individuals are expected to independently become proficient in new and diverse experimental techniques, be able to multi-tasks and meet timelines efficiently and productively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Physical Demands

This position requires lab work, frequent sitting, computer operation, standing, walking, talking, and hearing. Minimal business travel (including overnight stays and domestic and international travel) may be required as needed.