Scientist II, Computational Biology

Company Summary:

Tessera Therapeutics is an early-stage life sciences company pioneering Gene Writing, a new biotechnology designed to offer scientists and clinicians the ability to write small and large therapeutic messages into the genome, thereby curing diseases at their source. Gene Writing holds the potential to become a new category in genetic medicine, building upon recent breakthroughs in gene therapy and gene editing while eliminating important limitations in their reach, utilization, and efficacy. Tessera Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences innovation enterprise that conceives, resources, and develops first-in-category companies to transform human health and sustainability.

Position Summary:

Tessera is seeking a talented and motivated Computational Biologist to join our expanding Data Sciences team. This role will lead the use of computational genomics to support the discovery and development of novel gene editing technologies. You will develop and implement a strategy for novel protein discovery and contribute to advancing programs for proof-of-concept studies. You will contribute scientific, technical, and leadership expertise to a multidisciplinary team, emphasizing conceptualization, experimentation, data analysis, presentation, and strategic planning. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Utilize strategies from comparative genomics, evolutionary biology, and sequence analysis to propose and implement methodologies for novel protein discovery.
• Lead the implementation of computational pipelines to mine large-scale genome sequencing data.
• Work both independently and as part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team to design, analyze, and interpret multi-omics technologies focused on discovering novel gene writing systems.
• Lead and mentor junior scientists to collectively achieve team goals.
• Collaborate closely with experimental scientists to ensure that data is effectively utilized for high level impact.
• Present scientific findings to broad audiences including senior leadership to drive decision making in program teams

Basic Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (or comparable experience) in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or related quantitative discipline. 
• 3+ years of industry experience in discovery research.
• Proficient with experimental design, data processing, statistical analysis, and bioinformatics analysis/reporting of next-generation sequencing data.
• Experience with strategies for genome-scale mining initiatives.
• Fluency in one or more programming languages with bioinformatics applications (R, Python).
• Track record of success working in a fast-paced, cross-functional, and rapidly growing organization.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, ability to work with colleagues from diverse scientific backgrounds and cultures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with recent advances in gene therapy and development of gene editing platforms as therapeutics.
• Strong competency in sequence analysis methods including gene identification, functional annotation, or comparative genomics.
• Familiarity with short and long read next-generation sequencing platforms (Illumina, PacBio, Nanopore).
• Proficiency in handling large scale sequencing data in a cloud environment (AWS preferred).
• Proficiency in statistics and machine learning.
• Experience in virology or mobile genetic elements.

 

More About Flagship Pioneering

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has, through its Flagship Labs unit, applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $50B in aggregate value. To date, Flagship has deployed over $2.2B in capital toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside more than $18B of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises 41 transformative companies, including Axcella Health (NASDAQ: AXLA), Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO), Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Indigo Ag, Kaleido Biosciences (NASDAQ: KLDO), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), Sana Biotechnology, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Sigilon Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SGTX).

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.   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.