Sr. Scientist, Immune Repertoire Discovery

The Role

The Therapeutics Research group at Moderna is seeking a talented, experienced, and highly motivated Senior Scientist to implement scalable platforms for T cell repertoire analysis from patient and disease-relevant samples. This individual will drive T cell profiling and antigen-specific TCR discovery and functional validation efforts across oncology, autoimmunity, and other therapeutic areas where defining disease-relevant T cell responses can inform translational biology, therapeutic design, and AI/ML model training. The candidate will also help identify, characterize, and prioritize TCRs with potential utility for therapeutic development, including TCR-T, TCR engager, and other TCR-based modalities.

The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in T cell immunology, antigen-specific T cell repertoire analysis, TCR-pMHC recognition, and functional screening. They will work closely with cross-functional partners in bioinformatics, translational medicine, therapeutic immunology, protein engineering, and program teams to advance Moderna’s therapeutic and translational research programs. This is a highly collaborative, hands-on role for a scientist who is excited to build and refine discovery workflows, generate high-quality biological datasets, and translate complex immune profiling results into actionable insights for therapeutic research.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Establish and execute scalable workflows for TCR specificity mapping from patient samples, disease-relevant samples, and internal or external datasets.

• Support antigen-specific T cell discovery using approaches such as single-cell profiling, TCR sequencing, functional screening, reporter assays, cell-based assays, or NGS-enabled readouts.

• Design and execute experiments to identify, validate, and prioritize disease-relevant T cell responses and TCR candidates for downstream therapeutic evaluation.

• Contribute to translational oncology, autoimmunity, and other disease-area workstreams by applying TCR specificity-mapping workflows to support immune monitoring, mechanism-of-action studies, and therapeutic hypothesis generation.

• Generate high-quality, well-annotated biological datasets that can support downstream computational analysis, AI/ML model development, therapeutic discovery, and translational interpretation.

• Partner with bioinformatics, computational biology, AI/ML, protein engineering, translational medicine, and program teams to connect immune profiling outputs with therapeutic design and candidate selection.

• Drive continued innovation of TCR discovery workflows by identifying, piloting, and integrating new experimental or computational approaches that improve scale, sensitivity, reproducibility, or biological resolution.

• Troubleshoot complex assay workflows, evaluate new deconvolution technologies, and recommend improvements to throughput, sensitivity, and data quality.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Basic Qualifications)

• PhD in immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, cancer biology, microbiology, bioengineering, or related discipline.

• At least 2 years of hands-on post-graduate experience in T cell biology, TCR-pMHC recognition, antigen mapping, T cell repertoire analysis, immune profiling, or related T cell immunology platforms.

• Experience designing, executing, and troubleshooting complex immunology assays or T cell profiling workflows.

• Hands-on experience with one or more relevant technologies, such as single-cell sequencing workflows, TCR sequencing, cell-based assays, reporter systems, functional screening, NGS-based readouts, or high-throughput immunology platforms.

• Experience analyzing and interpreting T cell profiling, repertoire, antigen-mapping, functional screening, or related immunology datasets.

• Demonstrated ability to generate high-quality, reproducible experimental data under active program timelines.

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional partners such as bioinformatics, computational biology, translational medicine, therapeutic immunology, protein engineering, or program teams.

• Excellent written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate experimental results, limitations, and recommendations to multidisciplinary teams.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)

• Deep hands-on expertise in antigen-specific T cell profiling, TCR-pMHC recognition, TCR repertoire analysis, functional screening, or related immune discovery workflows.

• Experience identifying or characterizing disease-relevant TCRs from patient samples, tumor samples, autoimmune samples, infectious disease samples, or other biologically relevant sample types.

• Experience with sequencing-based TCR reconstruction, antigen mapping, TCR specificity validation, peptide-HLA biology, or TCR candidate prioritization.

• Experience generating structured biological datasets for downstream model development, therapeutic discovery, or translational interpretation.

• Familiarity with computational analysis of single-cell sequencing, TCR sequencing, repertoire, or functional screening datasets.

• Comfort operating in a platform-building environment where workflows, datasets, and decision criteria are being established and improved over time.

• Contributions to publications, patents, platform technologies, or therapeutic discovery programs in TCR biology, immunology, oncology, vaccines, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, or related fields.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, troubleshoot technically challenging workflows, and contribute to cross-functional project teams in a fast-paced, program-driven environment.

• A desire to make an impact as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.

Pay & Benefits

At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

• Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
• A holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
• Family planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
• Savings and investments to help you plan for the future
• Location-specific perks and extras

The salary range for this role is $130,800.00 - $209,400.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, other incentive compensation, or equity award, subject to company plan eligibility criteria and individual performance.

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world.  

By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities. 

We are proud to have been recognized as a Science Magazine Top Biopharma Employer, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in the U.S. 

If you want to make a difference and join a team that is changing the future of medicine, we invite you to visit modernatx.com/careers to learn more about our current opportunities. 

Our Working Model 

As we build our company, we have always believed an in-person culture is critical to our success. Moderna champions the significant benefits of in-office collaboration by embracing a 70/30 work model. This 70% in-office structure helps to foster a culture rich in innovation, teamwork, and direct mentorship. Join us in shaping a world where every interaction is an opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a meaningful impact. 

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

Equal Opportunities

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law.  Moderna is a place where everyone can grow. If you meet the Basic Qualifications for the role and you would be excited to contribute to our mission every day, please apply!

Moderna is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 

Accommodations

We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees. By cultivating a workplace that values diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we create an environment where every employee can contribute their best. 

Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should contact the Accommodations team at leavesandaccommodations@modernatx.com. 

Export Control Notice
This position may involve access to technology or data that is subject to U.S. export control laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). As such, employment is contingent upon the applicant’s ability to access export-controlled information in accordance with U.S. law. Due to the nature of the work and regulatory requirements, only individuals who qualify as U.S. persons (citizens, permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) are eligible for this position. For this role Moderna is unable to sponsor non-U.S. persons to apply for an export control license.
#LI-NH1

-