Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Draper is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We understand the value of diversity and its impact on a high-performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact hr@draper.com.

The Bioengineering Division is seeking a Senior scientist to support the research and development of cutting-edge technologies. At Draper Bioengineering, we work at the interface between engineering and biology, and the successful applicant will join teams working on Microphysiological systems (organ-on-chip) and other novel systems which blend complex biology with custom hardware and software. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, observant, collaborative, and dedicated, and will serve as a subject matter expert, applying their foundational immunology knowledge and experience to exciting, interdisciplinary efforts.

Draper offers a distinctive environment that blends the best aspects of academia, government, and industry. Our supportive team atmosphere fosters innovation, intellectual creativity, and an emphasis on career development. The available position offers the potential for career growth and opportunities to take on more responsibility over time.

Key Responsibilities:

Serve as an immunology subject matter expert (emphasis on mucosal and/or adaptive immunology) for interdisciplinary teams including biologists, engineers, chemists, bioinformaticians, etc.
• Generate bold ideas across a broad spectrum of immunological and biological applications to solve our customers' most challenging needs including biodefense/biosecurity and medical countermeasure development applications
• Support business development efforts through ideation, proposal writing, and customer outreach, including strategic interfaces with biotech and academic groups
• Plan and execute hands-on experiments with Draper's novel in vitro platform technologies; train and supervise junior staff; lead assay development; assist in troubleshooting experimental work in coordination with colleagues as needed
• Lead the analysis, reporting, and presenting of experimental data to internal management, external customers, and/or for publication
• Multitask within a dynamic and diverse project environment and adapt to changing priorities
• Support lab organization and maintenance as needed

Qualifications:

• PhD in Immunology, Microbiology, or related field
• Experience with standard immunological assays such as flow cytometry / FACS, magnetic cell sorting, ELISA/Luminex, immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy, cell proliferation assays, cytotoxicity assays
• Experience with primary cells or tissues (human or animal); experience isolating blood components such as B cells, T cells, monocytes and culturing them in vitro; understanding of immunological biomarkers for core immune cell populations including but not limited to innate immune cells in the myeloid lineage
• Experience with immune cell culture differentiation methodologies; phenotypic and functional characterization of immune cells; mucosal immunology and/or tumor immunology
• Ability to solve complex problems with minimal supervision, adapt to changing priorities, interface with all levels of internal management, as well as program sponsors and subcontractors
• Interest in applying fundamental biology and immunology knowledge to novel in vitro cell culture systems such as microphysiological systems or organ-on-chip technologies
• Self-starter with excellent written and oral communication skills, laboratory organizational skills, and attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications:

• Several years of postdoctoral experience in a laboratory/R&D setting
• Prior experience in the biotechnology industry
• Experience writing innovative R&D proposals for government sponsors (contacts, grants) or commercial sponsors and generating intellectual property
• Microbiology experience, such as in vitro or in vivo experience with BSL-2 or BSL-3 viruses, bacteria, or toxins; experience studying host-pathogen interactions; experience studying or modeling microbiomes
• Expertise in molecular biology, synthetic biology, stem cell biology, cell and tissue engineering (particularly immune cell or tissue modeling), genetic engineering, and/or immune-oncology
• Experience with microfluidic devices, microphysiological systems, and/or organ-on-chip technologies

Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security Government security clearance requires proof of US citizenship.

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