Why Join Us?

Parabilis Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to creating extraordinary medicines that unlock high-impact protein targets long-considered undruggable. The company has developed a new class of stabilized, cell-penetrant alpha-helical peptides – Helicons™ – capable of modulating intracellular proteins that are inaccessible to traditional drug modalities. 

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Parabilis is advancing a focused pipeline of multiple first-in-class therapies across both rare and common cancers. Its lead asset, zolucatetide (FOG-001), is a first-in-class, clinically validated direct inhibitor of the interaction between β-catenin and the T-cell factor (TCF) family of transcription factors, implicated in millions of cancer cases annually, including in colorectal cancer, desmoid tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma and a range of other Wnt/β-catenin-driven tumors. In Phase 1 clinical trials, zolucatetide produced the first-ever clinical evidence that it can directly inhibit this interaction, once previously considered “undruggable” despite its role across multiple cancer types. Parabilis is also advancing investigational degraders of ERG and AR^ON into clinical development for the treatment of prostate cancer, as well as progressing other preclinical programs. Backed by a recent $305 million Series F financing, Parabilis is entering an exciting phase of growth and execution.

What’s the opportunity?

The Senior Associate Scientist will play a hands-on role in discovery and translational biology, leading assay development and generating mechanistic insights to support oncology programs from lead optimization through biomarker development. This individual will partner cross-functionally to deliver high-quality, decision-driving data and contribute to advancing novel targets.

• Design, develop, and optimize multiplexed cell-based and high-throughput assays to ensure robust, reproducible, and scalable data generation
• Improve assay throughput and efficiency through automation or semi-automation, proactively identifying risks and refining experimental strategies
• Drive mechanistic understanding of novel oncology targets through hypothesis-driven experimentation (e.g., CRISPR, knockdown, tool compounds, rescue strategies)
• Integrate internal data, literature, and public datasets to inform experimental design, interpret results, and refine scientific hypotheses
• Contribute to biomarker discovery efforts and support translational strategy development
• Collaborate cross-functionally with chemistry, DMPK, in vivo pharmacology, and data science teams to advance programs from hit-to-lead through IND-enabling studies
• Support assay transfer to CROs, including data review, troubleshooting, and performance tracking
• Present findings clearly to project teams and maintain rigorous documentation, including ELN entries and SOP development

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Education & Experience:
  • Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years or Master’s degree with 4+ years of industry experience in a relevant field
  • Experience in discovery biology, with exposure to oncology or related therapeutic areas preferred
• Technical Expertise:
  • Strong hands-on experience developing and executing cell-based and high-throughput assays, including automation
  • Quantitative approach to assay design and data quality (controls, reproducibility, robustness metrics)
  • Experience designing and executing experiments independently and generating actionable insights from complex datasets
  • Familiarity with a subset of the following:
    • CRISPR/Cas9, gene editing/knockdown, overexpression systems
    • qPCR/RT-qPCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry
    • Reporter assays (e.g., luciferase, NanoBRET), protein–protein interaction assays
    • Mammalian cell culture and functional assays (e.g., proliferation, apoptosis)
    • High-throughput screening formats (e.g., 384-well)
    • Omics approaches (e.g., RNA-seq, proteomics) preferred
    • Automation platforms, ELN systems (e.g., Dotmatics), and SOP authorship
  • Core Capabilities:
    • Strong experimental rigor and data-driven decision-making
    • Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment
    • Effective cross-functional collaboration and clear scientific communication
    • Ownership mindset with ability to independently drive workstreams
  • Demonstrated ability to utilize AI tools for day-to-day work; baseline proficiency is expected, and advanced or innovative use of AI is a strong plus
  • Able to work on-site and attend in-person meetings

Core Values

Parabilis Medicines is a team of passionate pioneers who are trailblazing the future of precision medicine with the aim of making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients. The company is committed to promoting an inspiring and flourishing working environment for all employees across the business, in all departments, and driving innovation for patient benefit.

• Growth-Minded. We’re inventing a new class of medicines—one applicable to therapeutic targets that have been dreamt about, but always considered impossible to drug. Our work requires us to be curious, humble and adaptable.
• In(ter)dependent. We are fiercely independent as a leader in defying the limitations of current therapeutic modalities, and interdependent as a team as we work collaboratively to shift drug discovery paradigms and provide patients with better treatment options.
• Patient-focused. We are deeply focused on patient outcomes, and all energy in the company is focused on science as it translates to patient impact.
• All-In. We’re All-In on solving some of the hardest scientific challenges and delivering one of the most effective new classes of drugs in history.

The base salary range for this position is $88,000–$108,000 per year, depending on experience, qualifications, and internal practices. Parabilis’s total compensation package also includes an annual target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive suite of competitive benefits designed to support our employees’ overall well-being.

As an equal opportunity employer, Parabilis Medicines values an inclusive workplace and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

30 Acorn Park Drive    |     Cambridge, MA 02140    |    www.parabilismed.com

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.