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 https://popvax.com/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 seeking an exceptional, experienced senior immunologist with specific expertise in vaccine development to spearhead the overall immunology efforts at PopVax.
RESPONSIBILITES
- Contribute to antigen design and help predict the impact of changes to antigen design on immune response
- Plan and execute in vitro and in vivo experiments to comprehensively characterize the immunogenecity of mRNA-LNP vaccine candidates
- Lead communication and drive collaboration between the immunology and the antigen design, mRNA, and formulation teams
- Coordinate the overall execution of studies with external partners and contract research organisations
- 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
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 vaccine design 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
- Expertise (and ideally publications) in viral immunology experience in vaccine antigen design in particular is a huge plus
- In-depth understanding of the design, execution, and analysis of virus and pseudovirus neutralization assays
- 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
- Prior work on or experience with myocarditis is a plus
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.
