Scientist I/II - Animal Studies

Role Description

The candidate will join a small, fast-paced and highly collaborative team responsible for advancing Stork's pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies. This individual will execute and, with experience, lead in vivo assays across programs. This role will involve the design, execution, and analysis of experiments to assess the editing and function of engineered T cells in vivo. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with rodent handling, in vivo procedures, and multi-color flow cytometry. Scope and independence will be calibrated to the level at which the candidate is hired. This is a high-visibility role on a small team, with direct exposure to the founding scientific team.

Key Responsibilities

• Experimental design: Contribute to plans for mouse and NHP studies, providing expert guidance on model selection, dosing, and collection schedule. Preparing experimental protocols for IACUC review.
• In vivo procedures: Injection by various routes, routine blood collection, euthanasia, tissue collection and processing, strict adherence to biosafety regulations and IACUC-approved protocols.
• Evaluation of samples by flow cytometry: Process blood and tissue samples to enable analysis by multi-color flow cytometry (Attune). Evaluate engineered T cell biodistribution, editing, phenotype, and function.
• Functional assays: Conduct in vitro cytotoxicity, proliferation, and cytokine release assays (ELISA, Luminex, HTRF) to evaluate CAR T-cell function.
• Data analysis & communication: Analyze datasets using relevant software (FlowJo, GraphPad Prism); document experiments meticulously in ELN (Electronic Lab Notebook); present findings to R&D team.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Immunology, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, Molecular Biology, or a related field. Scientist I: 0–2 years of relevant postdoctoral or industry experience. Scientist II: 2–4 years of relevant postdoctoral or industry experience. Equivalent experience without a Ph.D. (M.S. with 4+ years, or B.S. with 8+ years of relevant industry experience) will be considered.
• Extensive experience with ethical animal care and use.
• Demonstrated proficiency in multi-color flow cytometry and gating strategies.
• Strong analytical problem-solving abilities, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a collaborative team-first mindset suitable for an early-stage startup environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with primary human T-cell isolation, culture, and adoptive cell therapy technologies (CAR-T, TCR-T).
• Extensive proficiency with cell-based functional assays (cytotoxicity, cell killing, panel cytokine release).
• Direct experience with lipid nanoparticle evaluation.
• Experience designing NHP experiments.