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Scientist, mRNAcDNACell-Free Display

Manifold Bio

Job Location:

Boston, MA - USA

Monthly Salary: $ 118000 - 138000

Posted: 7 March 2026 (30+ days ago)

Application Deadline: 10 September 2026

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

The job posting is outdated and position may be filled

Job Summary

Manifold Bio is a platform biotechnology company pioneering AI-guided protein design and massively multiplexed in vivo screening to unlock tissue-targeted medicines and organism-scale models of living systems. Using proprietary molecular barcoding technology we screen hundreds of thousands of protein designs simultaneously in living systems producing in vivo-validated datasets at a scale no one else can match. The datasets power our computational models which leads to better drug designs creating a flywheel that gets stronger with every campaign. Our team of protein engineers biologists and computational scientists worksacross this full stack to pursue programs both internally and with leading pharma companies.

Position

Manifold Bio is seeking a scientist to build and own a high-throughput automated cell-free display platform for screening computationally designed protein binder libraries against hundreds of therapeutic receptor targets.This platform will be a cornerstone of Manifolds closed-loop AI-driven molecule discovery engine generating the large-scale high-quality binding data needed to train and improve our design models. The ideal candidate is a hands-on scientist with deep expertise in cell-free display technologies and a drive to build automated systems that can operate at scale. You will work at the intersection of protein engineering laboratory automation and ML-guided drug discovery collaborating closely with our binder discovery ML and automation teams.

Responsibilities

Design develop and validate a cell-free display platform (cDNA display or similar) compatible with diverse binder formats
Work with automation team to scale and automate the platform to enable routine high-throughput screening against large panels of therapeutic targets
Collaborate with ML and computational teams to ensure screening outputs feed effectively into model training pipelines
Work with the protein engineering team to support discovery campaigns and affinity maturation as platform capacity allows
Stay current on advances in cell-free display laboratory automation and computational protein design

Required Qualifications

PhD or equivalent experience in protein biochemistry molecular biology biological engineering or a related field
Hands-on experience with cell-free selection systems (cDNA display mRNA display ribosome display or similar)
Strong molecular biology fundamentals and demonstrated ability to develop and troubleshoot complex multi-step workflows
Experience with or strong interest in laboratory automation

Preferred Qualifications

Track record of successfully automating complex laboratory workflows
Background in therapeutic antibody discovery or protein engineering
Experience with computational protein design
Familiarity with how high-throughput screening data feeds into ML and computational pipelines
Experience with complex or non-traditional binder formats and biochemical intuition to adapt selection workflows accordingly

Why you might be a good fit

Building systems that generate data at a scale previously impossible excites you
You thrive in fast-moving environments where you own a problem end-to-end
You are energized by working at the intersection of wet lab science automation and AI-driven biotherapeutic discovery
You are a collaborative scientist who communicates well across teams with different technical backgrounds

Base Salary Range: $00

This reflects the typical offer range for this role based on experience role scope and internal equity. Final compensation decisions are made using a consistent leveling framework and consider the candidates experience interview performance and expected impact.

This role is eligible for:

Annual performance-based target bonus
Stock options
Comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage
401(k) plan
Flexible paid time off and holidays
Perks including on-site gym onsite lunch and commuter support

Our compensation ranges are reviewed annually to ensure alignment with market trends and internal equity.

We value different experiences and ways of thinking and believe the most talented teams are built by bringing together people of diverse cultures genders and backgrounds.

Required Experience: