Senior Scientist

Title: Senior Scientist - Human Cell Models 

ABOUT THE COMPANY 

At QurAlis, we are neuro pioneers on a quest to cure. We work with a relentless pursuit of knowledge, a precise attention to craft, and an optimistic mindset to discover and develop effective precision medicines that will alter the trajectory of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative diseases. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing a pipeline with therapeutic candidates that target specific components of ALS and FTD pathology and defined patient populations based on both disease-causing genetic mutation(s) and clinical biomarkers.   

SUMMARY OF POSITION 

The Scientist will have a strong background in iPSC and/or human embryonic stem cell derivation and maintenance, neurodevelopment, 3D neuronal models, and familiarity with general editing techniques is a plus. The Scientist will work collaboratively with Discovery team leaders and with the Head of Discovery to meet specific goals established for the different pipeline’s programs. The Scientist will collaborate with discovery teams to perform in vitro validation and functional assays to support the critical activities within the drug development programs. This activity includes the investigation of tools or lead compounds in iPS-derived cell based and organoids assays. This position requires working as a bench scientist who will play a role in understanding fundamental aspects of neurological diseases. This position reports to the Vice President, Head of Discovery.  

Primary Job Responsibilities:  

• Establish efficient and robust protocols to generate high quality stem cells derived cell types to model human disease (Motor neurons, Cortical neurons, astrocytes, microglia, muscle, etc.).  
• Lead a team focused on the characterization of human stem cell and guide them on the scale up of optimized neuronal differentiation protocols.  
• Develop the disease phenotype-specific molecular and functional assays in relevant organoids and cell types differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. 
• Design, execute and interpret multiple experimental workflows, including the standard cell biology and stem cell biology methods. 
• Communicate program progress and issues to senior management and Discovery teams. 
• Strategic planning to set and meet long term objectives in line with department priorities. 
• Write reports and protocols which will be included in regulatory filings and patents filings. 
• Manage company’s cellular inventory. 
• Present data at national and international conferences when appropriate. 
• Continually cultivate scientific/technical expertise through a critical review of the scientific literature and by attending external conferences. 
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment as a team player, fostering a collaborative, creative, and rigorous culture of scientific discovery with a strong work ethic and time management skills. 
• Manage direct reports to meet drug discovery team’s needs and goals. 

Primary Job Requirements:  

• Ph.D. in Biology, Neuroscience, or relevant field with 4+ years of relevant stem cell experience 
• In-depth knowledge of human pluripotent stem cell culture, organoids, characterization, QC, and differentiation into neuroectoderm lineage using 2D and 3D cell culture (glia, neuron, and other relevant cell types). 
• Experience with cell and molecular based assays such as ICC, qPCR, western blotting, ELISA, high content and live cell microscopy. 
• Competence in methods to perturb mammalian gene expression such as oligonucleotides (siRNA and ASOs) and lentiviral approach. 
• Capability in developing novel human stem cell approaches, applications to unique biological problems, profiling, and assay development. 
• Experienced manager of teams with dynamic timelines and goals 
• Familiarity with automated liquid handling systems and biorepository software 
• Precise documentation of procedures and results in compliance with Electronic Lab Notebook guidelines