Company Summary

Serif Biomedicines, Inc. is a privately held, early-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to gene therapy that can address currently untreatable diseases. Serif Biomedicines was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an innovation enterprise that conceives, creates, resources, and grows first-in-category life sciences companies.

Flagship Pioneering has created over 100 groundbreaking companies over the past twenty years, all of which are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. These companies include Moderna (MRNA), Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MCRB), Generate Biomedicines, Tessera Tx, Evelo Biosciences (EVLO), and Indigo Agriculture.

The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join our Cell Biology team and play a key role in our efforts to profile nucleic acid function in cells. The candidate’s focus will be hands-on laboratory benchwork, will bring attention to detail and rigor to their work, and will be willing to learn. The individual will work alongside a cross-functional team in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Culture and maintenance of cell lines and primary cells (both immune and non-immune cells)
• Execute, optimize and analyze data from nucleic acid function assays on primary cells and cell lines in vitro
• Share experimental methods and data effectively and in a timely manner in both oral and written formats and maintain rigorous electronic notebook records
• Need to be comfortable working both as an independent contributor and as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team

Qualifications: 

• BS degree in Biology, Immunology, Virology, or related field
• Experience handling mammalian cells is required
• Experience with nucleic acid delivery methods (transfection, nucleofection, electroporation) is preferred
• Familiarity with experimental design, hands-on execution, and data analysis of in vitro assays to evaluate nucleic acid function (flow cytometry, ELISA, Incucyte- and/or confocal-based microscopy, reporter assays) is preferred
• Highly motivated to execute at the bench and bring robust organizational and problem-solving skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
• Rigorous attention to detail and enthusiasm towards developing and learning new skills
• Ability to adapt and execute in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary, and rapidly growing biotech environment

ABOUT FLAGSHIP PIONEERING

Flagship Pioneering is a scientific innovation engine that invents and builds companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps in human health, sustainability, and beyond. 

What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our team of scientists, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and create breakthroughs for the benefit of people and planet.

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 named four times to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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.

The salary range for this role is $65,000 - $93,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Serif Biomedicines currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Serif Biomedicines's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.

Role Overview

Vesalius is seeking a Senior/Executive Director-level Head of Biology to lead biological strategy and target validation across our causality-driven discovery platform. This role is responsible for translating human genetic evidence (including GWAS, rare variants, Mendelian randomization, and functional genomics) into rigorous, disease-relevant biological validation and for shaping preclinical programs across multiple therapeutic areas.

The ideal candidate brings deep target validation expertise across therapeutic modalities and disease areas, with particular strength in neurodegeneration (including Parkinson’s disease), genomic perturbation tools, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to cardiovascular and immune-mediated biology. You will build and mentor a high-caliber biology team, establish standards for scientific rigor and decision-quality, and partner closely with data science, chemistry, and platform operations to advance targets toward development readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Vesalius’s biological validation strategy from human genetics to disease-relevant cellular phenotypes and translational readouts.
• Translate genetic and functional genomics evidence into testable hypotheses, crisp experimental plans, and clear go/no-go decision points.
• Serve as research project lead for preclinical drug discovery programs (early through established preclinical stages), driving timelines, data quality, and scientific narrative.
• Lead target validation across multiple modalities (small molecules, biologics, oligonucleotides, and emerging modalities), with a modality-agnostic mindset.
• Provide subject-matter leadership in Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, including immune/neuroinflammatory mechanisms and CNS-relevant cell type dysregulation.
• Oversee design, execution, and interpretation of iPSC-derived and other human-relevant phenotypic assays, including assay development, functional readouts, and orthogonal validation.
• Lead and mentor scientists focused on cell model development and biology enabling capabilities; manage direct reports and coordinate matrixed teams across programs.
• Establish standards for experimental rigor, reproducibility, and data interpretation; drive documentation and best practices to support portfolio prioritization and target nomination.
• Design and manage experiments executed with external partners (CROs and collaborators), including study design, oversight, and troubleshooting.
• Partner closely with data scientists and other subject matter experts to integrate multi-omic datasets with biology, enabling rapid learning cycles and high-quality decisions.
• Collaborate with internal tissue and cell model experts to support target validation and ongoing discovery programs.

Qualifications

• PhD (or MD/PhD) in neuroscience, biology, immunology, genetics, or related field; or MS/BS with commensurate industry experience.
• 10+ years of relevant experience (industry and/or advanced academic), including leadership roles in target validation and assay/model development.
• Demonstrated success validating targets and progressing programs through a preclinical therapeutic pipeline.
• Demonstrated experience in using molecular genomic tools (e.g. genome engineering, RNAi) to interrogate biological systems.
• Proven experience working across multiple therapeutic areas, with emphasis on neurodegeneration and meaningful exposure to cardiovascular and immune biology.
• Deep expertise in human-relevant in vitro systems (e.g., iPSC-derived models), cell culture, molecular biology, genetic manipulation, and functional assay development.
• Track record of impactful scientific contributions (e.g., publications, patents, or delivered programs) and strong scientific judgment.
• Experience leading and mentoring teams, including direct people management and matrix leadership across functions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex datasets into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Hands-on experience with neuroinflammation/immunology and CNS-relevant cell types (e.g., microglia, astrocytes, neurons, oligodendrocytes).
• Experience designing studies with external CROs and managing vendor relationships for complex assay execution.
• Experience building biology capabilities within a platform or biotech environment and setting organization-wide standards.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, ambiguity-tolerant environment with a bias toward action and learning.

At Flagship, we accept impossible missions to enable bigger leaps. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We recognize that great candidates often bring unique strengths without fulfilling every qualification. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your background and interest in Flagship.

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.

The salary range for this role is $213,000 - $280,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Vesalius Therapeutics currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Vesalius Therapeutics's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.