Scientist (Vaccine Immunologist)

The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is a newly founded research institute in Basel that serves as a hub for multidisciplinary science, uniting experts in immunology, bioengineering, computational biology, and AI. Our mission is to develop cutting-edge immune-based therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging advanced computational tools.

Baxiva is a pre-seed biotechnology startup developing an advanced glycoconjugate vaccine targeting Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), a leading cause of urinary tract infections and sepsis worldwide.

This position, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is a collaboration between the BIIE Molecular Mucosal Immunology group and Baxiva and offers the unique opportunity to work on cutting edge science with a focus on real-world clinical impact. If you are passionate about vaccinology and excited to collaborate in a diverse and dynamic environment, we encourage you to apply.

Tasks

We are recruiting a Vaccine Immunologist to support development of a glycoconjugate vaccine targeting ExPEC. The Vaccine Immunologist will lead the generation and characterization of antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies for use as standards and controls and is expected to broadly support progress towards GLP compliant preclinical studies. This is a fixed appointment of 10 months with possibility to extend the engagement subject to progress and funding availability.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identification of candidate antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies by vaccination, B cell sorting, single-cell sequencing, and bioinformatic processing.
• Characterization of recombinant monoclonal antibodies by ELISA, flow cytometry, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).
• Design and optimization of protocols and procedures to achieve research goals.
• Strategic planning, collaboration, and interactions with interdisciplinary researchers.
• Engaging with all aspects of the research group’s work, from reading relevant literature to sharing ideas and joining group meetings and journal clubs.

The Molecular Mucosal Immunology group is dedicated to fostering creativity in science. As part of the team, you will receive hands on training in relevant methods and support for your professional and personal growth.

Requirements

Essential:

• PhD in immunology or vaccinology with a focus on prevention of bacterial infections. Plus up to 4 years of relevant experience following the PhD.
• Experience with some of the following methods (and strong motivation to learn others) flow-cytometry, mammalian cell culture, single cell sequencing, bioinformatic processing of sequence data, ELISA, and SPR.
• Experience with in vivo mouse models, including injections and ideally B-cell isolation.
• Demonstrated ability to innovate and optimize experimental workflows and procedures.
• Team spirit - ability to work independently and as part of a small team towards ambitious goals.

Preferred:

• Experience in design and execution of preclinical vaccine studies, including GLP-compliant studies and/or studies intended to support regulatory submissions and clinical development.
• Antibody production and purification in mammalian cell culture systems
• Experience with relevant in vitro assays such as serum bactericidal activity (SBA) and opsonophagocytic killing (OPK).
• Experience managing studies at external partners (CROs).

The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering is a newly founded non-profit research organization aiming to become a world leading research institute for the advanced study of immunological systems with a mission to develop translational solutions for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

The scientific foundation of the BIIE is based on the intersection of three interdisciplinary subdomains: (i) systems immunology, (ii) synthetic immunology and (iii) computational immunology. The BIIE will serve as a hub for multidisciplinary science, by uniting people with diverse expertise in immunology, biomedicine, bioengineering, systems and synthetic biology, computational biology, artificial intelligence and machine learning. As part of the mission of BIIE to make a lasting impact, it will dedicate significant efforts in training early-stage researchers in this unique multidisciplinary environment, thus enabling them to become future leaders in Immune Engineering.