VCGT is seeking a Senior Scientist to lead the Media Development effort in our Process Development Engineering team. The focus of this position is to lead cell culture medium development and optimization for cell and gene therapy applications, with a high performing team. The position will be based in Boston, MA.
- Lead the design and execution of experiments, together with the team, to evaluate new medium components and supplements, confirm the cell culture performance.
- Align with leadership to develop strategic roadmap on continuous medium optimization and phase-appropriate medium development and implementation.
- Manage the medium development team to ensure timely delivery of cell culture medium development and optimization projects.
- Lead the establishment and utilization of high throughput small scale screening platforms. Apply Design of Experiment (DOE) principles for medium development and optimization.
- Bring innovation to the team, contributing novel ideas and solutions to address challenges and improve processes.
- Lead by example, work closely with the team in the lab and conduct hands on experiments.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, aligning on project goals, sharing results, and fostering a collaborative working environment.
- Ensure data integrity by timely completion of phase-appropriate documentations, including experiment recording in electronic notebook system, develop protocols, and author reports to support future technology transfer and regulatory filings.
- Ensure compliance on lab safety procedures.
- Empower and support junior team members to independently plan and design experiments. Continuously grow and encourage team members on scientific and critical thinking.
- Degree in Stem Cell Biology, Chemical/Biochemical/Biomedical Engineering, Life Sciences, or related discipline.
- PhD with a minimum of 2-5 years of relevant industry work experience, or a BS with 8+ years of industry experience, or an MS with 6+ years of relevant industry experience.
- Strong fundamental knowledge and previous experience of medium development and mammalian cell culture (stem cell culture knowledge and experience is preferred) as well as knowledge of recent advances and challenges in the field.
- Experience on high throughput automation platforms for medium and process optimization, as well as DoE principled experimental design and execution.
- Strong fundamental knowledge and experience on bioreactors across scales.
- Must have a working knowledge of cGxP.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to handle multiple tasks while meeting timelines and adapting to changing priorities.
- Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail.
- Participate in weekend work rotation with the broader team.