Scientist, Infectious Disease Research
ModernaTX, Inc.

Job Info

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The Role

Moderna's Infectious Disease Research group is seeking a talented Scientist to be part of antigen design and selection bioinformatics team. The Scientist will apply expertise in bioinformatics and phylogenetics to investigate molecular evolution and genomic epidemiology of various pathogens. The successful candidate will have a PhD in a relevant field (bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science), have expertise in building and interpreting phylogenetic trees, a prior experience of investigating molecular evolution using genetic sequence data, a strong familiarity with bioinformatics resources, databases, and algorithms, and proficiency in programming languages such as Python/R/Perl. We are especially interested in candidates who have a strong passion to improve public health via infectious disease research. The Scientist will work in a highly collaborative environment and will regularly interact with cross-functional teams such as Bacteriology, Virology, Bioinformatics, Data Sciences, Immunology, Computational Biology, and others. Located in Cambridge, MA, the Scientist should have a track record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals and possess excellent scientific communication skills.

Here's What You'll Do:

• Use expertise in bioinformatics and programming to analyze sequence data from human pathogens to gain insights into their evolution, diversity, and transmission, and use this information to guide strain selection for novel mRNA vaccines.
  
• Diagnose known issues in pathogen sequencing datasets such as recombination, homoplasy, sequencing artifacts, and others, and propose creative solutions.
  
• Develop computational pipelines to update phylogenetic trees in real-time when new sequences/data become available.
  
• Develop user-friendly interfaces or dashboards (e.g., through tableau) to communicate phylogenetic trees and epidemiological data to a broad range of stakeholders.
  
• Maintain expertise in the field of bioinformatics, phylogenetics, phylodynamics, and infectious disease research by keeping up to date with scientific literature, attending relevant conferences, and liaising with external experts in the field.
  
• Prepare documents and present strategy, results, project updates, and summaries.
  
• Provide scientific and technical advice to multidisciplinary project teams.
  
• Manage multiple experiments, projects and interactions with supporting functions.
  
• Interpret, troubleshoot, and report complex data.
  

Here's What You'll Bring to the Table:

• Exceptional PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or a related field.
  
• Experience in phylogenetic analyses using standard programs such as RAxML, IQTREE, FastTree, BEAST, interpreting virus evolution using genetic and protein sequence data, and genomic epidemiology is required. We are particularly interested in candidates who have prior experience in using phylogenetics in public health.
  
• Proficiency in at least one of Python, R, or Perl is required.
  
• Experience of developing user-friendly dashboards or interfaces is required.
  
• Track record of high impact publications and presentations in the relevant field is required.
  
• Experience with bacterial phylogenies will be a plus.
  
• The ability to work in a cross-functional work environment is critical; strong leadership skills and independence are expected.
  
• Excellent written, presentation and interpersonal communication skills; ability to influence and collaborate in a team environment.
  
• Candidate will be curious in exploring new paths when faced with challenges, bold in proposing creative ideas and experiments. Will work collaboratively with multifunctional teams and will be relentless in pursuing successful outcomes.
  

Moderna is pleased to provide you and your family with a comprehensive and innovative suite of benefits, including:

• Highly competitive and inclusive medical, dental and vision coverage options
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Lifestyle Spending Account funds to help you engage in personal enrichment and self-care activities
• Family care benefits, including subsidized back-up care options and on-demand tutoring
• Free premium access to fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes
• Exclusive preferred pricing on Peloton fitness equipment
• Adoption and family-planning benefits
• Dedicated care coordination support for our LGBTQ+ community
• Generous paid time off, including:
  • Vacation, sick time and holidays
  • Volunteer time to participate within your community
  • Discretionary winter shut down
  • Paid sabbatical after 5 years; every 3 years thereafter
• Generous Paid Leave offerings, including 18 weeks of 100% paid parental leave for all new parents
• 401k match and Financial Planning tools
• Moderna-paid Life, LTD and STD insurance coverages, as well as voluntary benefit options
• Complimentary concierge service including home services research, travel booking, and entertainment requests
• Free parking or subsidized commuter passes
• Location-specific perks and extras!

Candidates should be aware that Moderna currently maintains a policy requiring all US-based employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive a booster shot once eligible. Newly hired employees must be vaccinated and boosted prior to their employment start date. Moderna is an equal opportunity employer and will provide a reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated or receive a booster where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law.

About Moderna

In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past seven years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free work environment.

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Moderna will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.
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