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!

Role Overview

We’re seeking an exceptional Principal Scientist – Molecular Biology to lead molecular cloning, expression, and analytical characterisation for our mRNA vaccine and cancer immunotherapies programs. You’ll work closely with the Protein Design, Immunology, Formulations, and QC teams to design, generate, and validate constructs that drive our vaccine and immunotherapies pipeline forward from concept to clinic.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and oversee molecular biology workflows including vector design, cloning, mutagenesis, and sequence verification for vaccine and immunogen constructs.

• Design and optimise expression systems (bacterial, mammalian, IVT templates) for mRNA production.

• Develop, optimise, and validate SAM and TAM architectures

• Establish and manage analytical pipelines for RNA integrity, cap structure validation, and NGS-based sequence verification.

• Collaborate with Protein Design, Computational Biology, and Formulation teams to translate in-silico designs into functional constructs.

• Supervise and mentor molecular biologists; coordinate priorities across multiple PopVax programs.

• Maintain and document all designs, constructs, and results

• Contribute to scientific strategy, publications, and intellectual property development.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology, or related field with 6+ years of relevant industry experience.

• Proven record of leading molecular design and cloning efforts for mRNA vaccines, biologics, or gene therapy products.

• Deep hands-on expertise in:

  • PCR, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate, and other advanced cloning methods

  • Plasmid and IVT template design for mRNA production

  • Self-amplifying and trans-amplifying RNA systems (SAM/TAM)

  • In-vitro transcription, RNA purification, and cap analog optimisation

  • Next-generation sequencing (Illumina/Nanopore) for construct verification and QC

  • Analytical assays (RT-qPCR, fragment analysis, RNA yield, stability, and modification profiling)

  • Familiarity with automation platforms (OpenTrons, Tecan) is a plus

• Strong leadership, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

We offer a chance to help build the future of pharmaceutical R&D from India with access to state-of-the-art lab infrastructure and an exceptional talent base iterating on vaccine and therapeutic targets, modalities, designs, and manufacturing processes at breakneck speed. At the same time, you will avail competitive compensation, comprehensive health insurance with the option to cover immediate family (including pre-existing conditions).