PopVax is an Indian full-stack biotech building first-in-class and best-in-class vaccines and cancer immunotherapies using machine learning-driven protein 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, Strep A, and adult pulmonary TB; broadly-protective best-in-class vaccines against COVID-19, influenza, malaria, and HPV; and precision immunotherapies against hard-to-treat solid tumours such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. Beyond existing diseases, we are leveraging our high-speed platform to build rapid-response biosecurity capabilities against engineered de novo pathogens.

Our mission is funded by Vitalik Buterin’s Balvi Fund, the Gates Foundation, the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Renaissance Philanthropy, and Good Ventures, with individual investments from Enveda founder Viswa Colluru and Tesla self-driving AI pioneer Dhaval Shroff. Our first program, an open-source broadly-protective COVID-19 vaccine, will begin a Phase I clinical trial in Australia in mid-2026. This is just the start – we intend to advance 6+ novel vaccine and immunotherapy programs into human clinical trials over the next three years, decisively demonstrating that world-class biotech R&D is possible in India. 

No matter the job title, each person’s role at PopVax is ultimately about helping bring safe, effective new medicines that represent a step-change over the current standard-of-care to the people who need them, as quickly as possible. If you are looking for a place 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 a highly motivated Junior Scientist for our Hyderabad labs who will be responsible for a range of essential laboratory activities, including the routine performance of various immunoassays such as ELISA and Pseudovirus Neutralisation Titer (PVNT) assays. A significant portion of this role will also involve the routine execution of cell culture activities, including cell line maintenance, propagation, and preparation for experimental procedures. Furthermore, you will be actively involved in transfection experiments and Pseudovirus (PSV) generation, contributing directly to the development and characterisation of viral systems. You will also provide vital support for other cell culture-based assays integral to the HCV project.

Role Overview
We are looking for a motivated Junior Scientist to join our Immunology team and help generate the data that guides our vaccine programs. The role involves supporting in vitro and ex vivo assay development for bacterial vaccines, establishing and running pseudovirus neutralisation and bacterial growth-inhibition assays, and maintaining the mammalian cell cultures. You will work with sera and tissue samples from immunogenicity studies, generating reliable assay data to support programme decisions.

The role extends beyond the bench. You will help plan and coordinate mouse studies, work with internal teams and CROs to keep them on schedule, and ensure that samples are collected, labelled, transported, stored and tracked correctly. You will follow each study from experimental planning through sample analysis, building a clear link between what happens in vivo and what we learn in the lab.

This is a good fit for an early-career scientist who enjoys careful experimental work and is equally comfortable managing the operational details that keep studies moving. You should be organised, dependable and eager to develop across cell culture, immunological assays and preclinical study execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform bacterial culture and maintenance, including CFU plating and enumeration

• Conduct ELISA-based assays for antibody/antigen quantification and immunogenicity assessment

• Carry out bacterial growth inhibition assays

• Perform and optimise pseudovirus neutralisation assays to evaluate vaccine-induced antibody responses

• Carry out mammalian tissue culture work, including cell maintenance and passaging

• Accurately prepare reagents, buffers, and dilutions, with strong attention to calculations

• Troubleshoot assays and contribute to protocol and process improvements

• Analyze and present experimental data using GraphPad Prism and ImageJ

• Support troubleshooting of assays and contribute to process optimization

• Track study milestones, dosing schedules, bleeds, tissue collections and deliverables

• Coordinate mouse immunogenicity studies with CROs and internal teams

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams within Popvax (formulation, process development, analytical method development) and CROs.

Required Qualifications

• M.Sc. in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Microbial biotechnology, Medical microbiology Immunology, Life Sciences, or a related field 

• Demonstrated hands-on experience in:

  • Bacterial culture techniques and CFU plating

  • ELISA

  • Mammalian tissue culture

• Strong quantitative skills — comfortable with dilution calculations, molarity, unit conversions, and data tabulation

• Basic computer proficiency, including MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

• Working knowledge of GraphPad Prism and ImageJ for data analysis

• Willingness and enthusiasm to learn new lab techniques and platforms

Desired Qualifications

• Prior experience in a vaccine, immunology, or infectious disease research setting

• Experience in working with virulent or avirulent mycobacteria

• Adept at basic scripting with Python and R.

• Good documentation and record-keeping habits

• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow SOPs precisely

• Clear written and verbal communication

• A reliable, proactive and well-organised approach to laboratory work

• Ability to manage multiple experiments/timelines independently

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.