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 seeking an exceptional, experienced senior immunologist with specific expertise in T-cell biology, hands-on experience with T-cell isolation, stimulation and enrichment protocols, in-depth knowledge of TCR discovery, and assays related to measuring T-cell potency and cytokine release.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintenance and handling of primary immune cells from various sources

• Contribute to the design of TCRs and TCR-mimics

• Lead discovery campaigns to generate TCRs via stimulation assays (medium throughput or high throughput fashion)

• Plan and execute in vitro and in vivo experiments to comprehensively characterise the potency of both designed and discovered TCRs.

• Lead communication and drive collaboration between the immunology and the antigen design, mRNA, and formulation teams

• Develop study outlines, detailed timelines and oversee the logistics for execution of parallel and staggered experiments

• Ensure effective and thorough documentation, analysis, and interpretation of the experimental data generated by the immunology team

• Mentor juniors and lead a team to take independent decisions for experimental designs

QUALIFICATIONS 

• PhD and 8+ years or Masters and 10+ years of experience in immunology, biochemistry, life sciences, or a related discipline, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in TCR discovery and development in academia or industry

• Experience in performing and in-depth understanding of routine immunology techniques such as ELISA, ELISPOT, multiplex assays, and multi-colour flow cytometry, including intracellular cytokine staining

• In-depth understanding of T-cell biology, and downstream therapeutics, including CAR-T and T-cell engagers

• Familiarity with data analysis software such as FlowJo and Prism

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• A proven track record of research publications and, ideally, presentations at research conferences

• Proven leadership and mentorship experience in pre-clinical research and development

We offer very competitive compensation, comprehensive health insurance covering 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.