Principal Scientist, Early Discovery Biology

What if… you could join an organization that creates, resources, and builds life sciences companies that invent breakthrough technologies in order to transform health care and sustainability?

Montai Health is a privately held, early-stage biotechnology company developing a platform for understanding and leveraging complex molecular interactions within organisms to solve global challenges in human health and sustainability. The company leverages a multidisciplinary approach that integrates tools ranging from machine learning and big data to multi-omics and high-throughput screening.

At Montai, we nurture a bold, spirited and leading-edge culture dedicated to strengthening human health:

• We are one team with omnidirectional trust, empowered and accountable
• We are strong as individuals but stronger as a team and we are committed to excellence
• We have a sense of urgency and persistence and we are crazily confident that we can make a difference
• We need to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and be rigorous and we recognize that failure is data
• We care for diversity in people, thought, personality, opinions, background and distinctiveness
• We have a sense of humor to help us manage through our strategic noise

Montai is seeking an experienced and highly motivated immunologist at the Principal Scientist level to join the Early Discovery Biology team, reporting to the head of Early Discovery Biology. This individual will drive early discovery programs from project conception and screening/hit ID through hit-to-lead, leveraging Montai’s proprietary AI/ML platform to deliver clear decision-making data packages. The successful candidate will have a track record of success leading interdisciplinary teams to advance small molecule drug discovery projects in immunology-related therapeutic areas. Primary responsibilities will include establishing deep understanding of target biology, developing and executing efficient screening funnels for HTS & H2L assays via CRO partners, and analyzing and synthesizing data into decisional packages to ID promising chemical matter for entry into lead-optimization programs.

The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a collaborative, innovative and fast-paced biopharmaceutical environment. Skills should include a high degree of problem-solving ability as well as excellent communication abilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and technical oversight of development, validation and execution of in vitro screening and hit-to-lead programs with external research partners at CROs
• Analyze and compile screening data into Montai databases, and communicate results to diverse stakeholders to drive project decisions and progression
• Provide immunology subject matter expertise to support broader efforts in target & indication prioritization, experimental approaches and project strategy
• Preparing, reviewing and presenting scientific presentations for internal/external use
• Work effectively with the leadership team to ensure timely advancement of projects to meet timelines

Qualifications:

• PhD in immunology preferred although biology, pharmacology or a related scientific discipline would be considered with drug-discovery experience in inflammatory and immunological diseases
• 8+ years of industry experience in small molecule drug discovery-related activities, experience in small start-up is preferred
• Significant experience independently managing external research projects with CROs
• Extensive experience with high-throughput screening methodologies and data analysis
• Strong expertise and research track record in innate and adaptive immune biology, signaling pathways, and immune functions in healthy and diseased states including chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions
• Excellent ability to efficiently communicate (written and verbally) complex and technical content to diverse stakeholders
• Self-starter who thrives in collaborative interdisciplinary teams, is unafraid to ask difficult questions, is eager to learn new biology/technology and is passionate about delivering medicines to patients suffering with chronic diseases

Flagship Pioneering has conceived of and created companies such as Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT), Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Indigo Agriculture. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures. In 2021, Flagship Pioneering was ranked 12th globally 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.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

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.