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!

The Role

Peptide therapeutics are one of the modalities we're building out at PopVax, and turning a designed peptide into a credible drug candidate depends on knowing, clearly and quantitatively, what it does to cells. Does it bind its target? Does that binding actually trigger the signaling cascade we expect? How strongly, and through which pathway? Cell-based assays are how those questions get answered, and the answers feed directly back into the next round of design.

We're looking for a Junior Scientist to take on that work – mammalian cell culture, receptor-binding studies, and cell-based signal transduction assays – as part of our peptide discovery effort. This is an early-career role at the interface of cell biology, molecular biology, and drug discovery, and it's a good fit for someone who wants to spend the next few years getting valuable experience in seeing how their experiments shape real therapeutic programs.

The Work

The work sits across mammalian cell culture, receptor-ligand interaction studies, the design and execution of signal transduction assays, standard molecular biology and protein techniques (Western, ELISA, protein quantification, enzyme kinetics), and the careful analysis and documentation that turns experiments into decisions.

In more detail, you will be:

• Maintaining and culturing mammalian cell lines as the workhorse of the assay platform.

• Running expression experiments by performing transient transfections and, as programs require, generating stable cell lines.

• Designing and running experiments that characterise how our peptides bind their targets and what that binding does.

• Designing, optimising, and executing cell-based assays that measure receptor activation and downstream signaling – phosphorylation, reporter activation, second-messenger readouts, pathway activation.

• Working on core molecular biology and protein analysis, including western blotting, ELISA, protein quantification, and enzyme kinetics assays as part of the standard toolkit.

• Analysing experimental data, interpreting it in the context of the underlying biology, and writing it up clearly enough that program leads can act on it.

• All of this means maintaining accurate, organised records and experimental documentation so not just you, but the whole team can understand the exact steps you followed to arrive at the results you did.

• Working closely with peptide design, chemistry, and program teams to feed assay results back into the next iteration of molecules – science is built on collaboration, and we expect everyone here to engage with that seriously.

Who Thrives Here

Someone genuinely curious about how cells work, and patient enough to do careful work at the bench day after day. Reliable hands matter here – clean cell culture, careful pipetting, well-controlled experiments – and so does the instinct to ask why a result looks the way it does rather than just recording it.

A good fit for someone early in their career who wants to learn quickly and seriously. The role is structured to let a strong junior scientist grow into harder problems over time, with real ownership of assays as they develop.

Comfortable working independently on the techniques they already know, and comfortable picking up new ones with guidance. Organised about records and data – what matters here isn't just running the experiment but making sure the next person (including future-you) can trust what came out of it.

Required Qualifications

• M.Sc. or B.Tech./M.Tech. in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Life Sciences, or a related discipline.

• Strong hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture.

• Practical experience with Western blotting and ELISA.

• A working understanding of receptor biology and cellular signaling pathways.

• Strong experimental and troubleshooting instincts.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.

Nice to Have

• Experience with GPCR, receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), cytokine receptor, or other receptor-mediated signaling assays.

• Experience measuring downstream signaling events — protein phosphorylation, reporter gene activation, calcium mobilization, cAMP signaling, MAPK/ERK, AKT/mTOR.

• Experience with mammalian cell transfection and generation of stable cell lines.

• Familiarity with flow cytometry, immunofluorescence microscopy, or qPCR.

• Prior exposure to drug discovery, peptide therapeutics, biologics, or cell-based screening.

Experience

0–3 years of relevant research experience preferred. Outstanding fresh graduates with strong hands-on laboratory experience are encouraged to apply.

What We Offer

Very competitive compensation, comprehensive health insurance with the option to cover immediate family (including pre-existing conditions), and a collaborative environment focused on solving the cutting-edge multidisciplinary challenges of our mRNA and peptide platforms.