Senior Scientist, Translational Science - Autoimmune Disease

Fate Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist with expertise in immunology, immune cell therapy and/or autoimmune diseases to join our Clinical Translation group. The successful candidate is a collaborative individual with the ability to work in a highly matrixed environment and across multidisciplinary teams. They will support/lead biomarker assay development and implementation, data analysis from clinical samples, and execute experiments to support translational strategies in early phase clinical trials across Fate's iPSC derived NK and T cell platforms. The ideal candidate will demonstrate clear and professional verbal and written communication skills, capable of presenting scientific data to multidisciplinary teams both internally and with external collaborators. This is a full-time position located at our corporate headquarters in San Diego, CA.

Responsibilities

Independently design, plan, and execute experiments to support biomarker discovery, validation, and implementation in autoimmune disease programs.

Collaborate with Scientists, Associate Scientists, and Research Associates to support in-house testing of clinical samples, data QC, and release; manage timelines to deliver data to support project reviews, data disclosures, etc.

Develop and validate flow-based biomarker assays for clinical testing and coordinate transition of assays to the production lab and/or third-party vendors. Author assay validation reports.

Propose biomarker hypotheses and independently design, plan, and execute experiments to support hypotheses and address high priority platform questions, including MOA, immunogenicity, and rational combinations.

Analyze, summarize, and deliver biomarker data to support clinical studies, present biomarker data to internal cross functional teams and/or at external scientific conferences.

Manage CROs and maintain oversight on deliverables (proposals, timelines, data analyses and reporting).

Perform in-depth scientific literature reviews to help address critical questions relating to autoimmune disease biology, mechanisms of action, clinical relevance, etc.

Collect, maintain, and organize primary data for timely analysis in accordance with company policy.

Mentor and train junior scientists.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Immunology, cell biology (or a related field) with 4+ years of experience in industry, preferably in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting.

Strong background in immunology.

Experience in autoimmune diseases with knowledge of disease biology desired.

Hands-on experience with high dimensional flow cytometry, panel design and downstream analysis, with an emphasis on developing assays for characterizing product cells and immune subsets in clinical samples.

Experience with handling, processing, and analyzing human clinical samples including PBMC and BMMC isolations.

Experience with multi-parameter phenotypic and functional analysis of NK and T cells using flow cytometry, gene expression, cytokine/immune profiling, and/or cytotoxicity assays.

Experience in developing ELISA assays for the assessment of humoral and cellular immunogenicity.

Strong analytical and critical thinking skills are a must, ability to quickly adapt to changing projects and priorities, and work in a fast paced and dynamic environment.

Strong data management skills with knowledge in different analysis tools, including but not limited to GraphPad Prism, Spotfire, Flowjo, and OMIQ.

Experience with mammalian cell culture and in vitro cell based assays.

Excellent written and oral communication skills. Experience writing and reviewing assay development reports desirable.

Experience leading, mentoring, and supervising team members.

Occasional evening and weekend work will be required.

100% onsite work at headquarters in San Diego, CA

Working conditions & physical requirements

Subject to extended periods of sitting and standing, vision to monitor, and moderate noise levels.

Will require working with cells and cell lines of human and/or animal origin.

Will require working with hazardous materials.

Occasional evening and weekend work will be required.

100% onsite work at headquarters in San Diego, CA.

Compensation

The salary offer will be based on a variety of factors, including level, experience, qualifications, internal equity, and location.

Fate offers a competitive employment package that includes an annual bonus, equity, and a generous benefits package.

The anticipated salary range for this role is $135,000 - $150,000.

Permanent