Sr Scientist – Director, Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Design and Delivery

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Sr Scientist–Director to establish and lead Profluent’s emerging LNP Design & Delivery group. As the founding member of this team, you will architect and own our liver-directed LNP platform while pioneering approaches for extrahepatic delivery. You will play a central role in advancing Profluent’s programmable gene-editing medicines from concept to in vivo proof-of-mechanism and ultimately toward clinical translation.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in designing, formulating, and characterizing LNPs for nucleic acid therapeutics, ideally including CRISPR-based payloads, and a track record of advancing delivery systems through preclinical development. This role offers a unique opportunity to drive innovation at the intersection of AI-driven protein design, next-generation gene editing technologies, and cutting-edge delivery science.

Responsibilities

LNP Design, Formulation & Optimization

• Lead end-to-end formulation, optimization, and characterization of LNPs for delivery of gene editing payloads (mRNA, gRNA, and/or emerging modalities).
• Establish robust formulation workflows including microfluidic mixing, nucleic acid loading, particle purification, etc.
• Develop and implement analytical methods to evaluate physicochemical properties (eg, size, PDI, encapsulation efficiency, payload integrity, stability, lipid composition, etc.).
• Design structure-function studies to understand how lipid composition, ratios, and/or targeting ligands influence delivery performance.
• Establish our foundational liver-targeted LNP platform and collaborate with our AI/ML group to engineer binding moieties for extrahepatic targeting.
• Collaborate closely with Cellular Models, In Vivo Pharmacology, and Gene Editing teams to evaluate transfection, in vivo biodistribution, editing efficiency, and functional outcomes.
• Benchmark LNP performance across rodent and/or NHP models to inform clinical relevance and therapeutic index.

Cross-functional leadership  

• Serve as the scientific authority on LNP design and delivery across the company, guiding platform strategy from Discovery through Development.
• Work with external collaborators, CROs, and CMO partners to support scale-up, CMC considerations, manufacturability, and regulatory-enabling activities.
• Communicate results, strategic insights, and program recommendations effectively to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Maintain deep awareness of emerging delivery modalities, LNP chemistry innovations, and novel targeting strategies.
• Mentor and grow a high-performing LNP team; supervise junior scientists and/or RAs as the group expands.
• Contribute to IP strategy and support patent filings related to novel formulations, lipid chemistries, or delivery approaches.

Qualifications (Must-Have)

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biology, or related field - or equivalent industry experience.
• 4+ years of industry experience with a track record of LNP design and optimization for nucleic acid therapeutics.
• Extensive hands-on experience with lipid nanoparticle formulation, characterization, and nucleic acid encapsulation, demonstrated success delivering payloads to hepatocytes in vivo.
• Extensive hands-on experience with LNP analytical characterization methods (eg, DLS, encapsulation assays, stability studies, polydispersity, LC/MS for lipid analysis, etc.).
• Proven track record of independently driving multifaceted research programs to deliver key milestones in fast-paced environments.
• Experience advancing LNP-based therapeutics toward IND or early clinical development.
• Experience working with NHP models, CRO management, and/or external manufacturing partners.
• Experience with CMC considerations for lipid synthesis, nanoparticle scale-up, and regulatory expectations for nucleic acid delivery systems.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to clearly articulate principles of formulation design, biological performance, risks, and trade-offs.
• Deep understanding of delivery challenges for gene editing therapeutics, including immune activation, endosomal escape, and biodistribution constraints.