PopVax is an Indian full-stack biotech building first-in-class and best-in-class vaccines and cancer immunotherapies using machine learning-driven design and relentless empiricism. We design, develop, and manufacture our own RNA medicines end-to-end because we believe great pharmaceutical science can only flourish in tight feedback loops that iterate rapidly. PopVax’s experimental work and clinical dose production is based at the RNA Foundry, our integrated R&D and GMP-capable clinical dose production facility in Hyderabad.

PopVax's north star is our goal of developing novel vaccines and therapeutics over the next decade with the cumulative ability to save 1 million lives each year – the Million Lives Mission. To that end, we are developing first-in-class vaccines against Hepatitis C Virus, Strep A, and adult pulmonary TB, broadly-protective best-in-class vaccines against COVID-19, influenza, and HPV, and precision immunotherapies against hard-to-treat solid tumours such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Our work is funded by Vitalik Buterin’s Balvi Fund, the Gates Foundation, the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and Renaissance Philanthropy. Our first vaccine program will begin a Phase I clinical trial in the US in mid-2026 conducted & sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We intend to put 6 novel vaccines and immunotherapies into Phase I clinical trials over the next 3 years.

No matter the job title, each person’s role at PopVax is ultimately focused on helping take safe & effective new medicines that represent a step-change improvement on the current standard-of-care to the people who need them as fast as possible. If you want to work where the ambition is high, the learning curve is steep, and the work matters to billions, you’ll feel at home here.

If you’re excited by the idea of advancing scientific, clinical, and regulatory frontiers of vaccines and immunotherapies, spending each day developing medicines with the potential to save millions of lives, and building a generational global pharmaceutical company in India along the way – join us!

We are looking for an exceptional Scientist for our Hyderabad labs who will be responsible for executing molecular biology workflows for gene expression, protein production, and assay development for various programs. The role demands strong expertise in recombinant DNA technology, experimental design, and troubleshooting, as well as the ability to independently plan and execute projects in a collaborative research environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A PhD in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or Molecular Biology, or M.Sc. with 5–7 years of relevant industrial experience in Molecular Biology & protein expression.

• Demonstrable experience in performing DNA, RNA, and protein extraction, purification, and quantification using established and advanced molecular biology methods.

• Experienced in designing and conducting PCR, qRT-PCR, and cloning workflows using restriction enzyme–based, Gibson Assembly, Gateway, Golden Gate, and In-Fusion techniques.

• Has built vectors from scratch in silico, using molecular design software for sequence optimisation and construct validation.

• Has expressed recombinant proteins in bacterial, yeast, insect, and mammalian cells, including both transient and stable transfection systems.

• Carried out biochemical and molecular assays, including ELISA and nucleic acid/protein quantification using spectroscopic and fluorometric methods.

• Performed protein–protein interaction studies (e.g., pull-downs, co-IP, affinity purification) and support assay development for new molecular platforms.

• Participated in high-throughput cloning, screening, and expression studies to evaluate construct performance and optimise conditions.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. The ability to present scientific findings clearly and concisely is a vital and non-negotiable component of success at PopVax.

• A willingness to shoulder substantial and often repetitive assay workloads on a daily basis and a desire to rapidly learn, troubleshoot, and master new experimental techniques.

• Able to maximise his/her contribution in the assigned projects with proper planning and execution is necessary.

• Strictly adhering to good lab practices, maintaining laboratory records and ensuring compliance with company policies, safety regulations, quality standards and data traceability in accordance with GLP/GMP documentation at all times is mandatory.

We offer very competitive compensation, comprehensive health insurance with the option to cover immediate family (including pre-existing conditions), and, most importantly, a collaborative work environment focused on solving the cutting-edge multidisciplinary challenges of our novel mRNA platform.