About the role

We are looking for an accomplished and highly motivated Scientist with expertise in hematopoietic stem cell biology to join our Discovery Team. This scientist will help develop and evaluate next-generation delivery vectors for engineering human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The role will combine primary HSPC biology, cell characterization and engineering, vector development and quantitative assay development to understand how vector design influences delivery efficiency, cell specificity, stem cell phenotype, and functional or therapeutic potential.

The ideal candidate has substantial hands-on experience working with primary human CD34+ cells and a strong understanding of the biology and heterogeneity of hematopoietic stem and progenitor populations. Experience characterizing HSPC subsets, preserving stem and progenitor phenotypes during ex vivo manipulation, and evaluating gene delivery or genome engineering in HSPCs is particularly valuable. Experience with animal models used to evaluate HSPC biology and function is a plus.

The scientist will serve as an independent contributor and scientific problem-solver who can own experimental workstreams end-to-end, from defining the biological question and designing experiments through execution, analysis, interpretation, and recommendation of next steps. They will join a highly collaborative team spanning synthetic biology, molecular biology, immunology, vector engineering, and cell biology.

What you'll do

• Design, build, and evaluate gene delivery vectors designed to engineer mammalian cells, with a primary focus on human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).
• Evaluate vector performance across relevant cell populations, including delivery efficiency, specificity, viability, phenotype, and functional consequences.
• Culture, manipulate, and characterize primary human CD34+ cells, including development of quantitative assays and flow cytometry panels to resolve HSPC subsets and assess the retention of stem/progenitor properties following genetic engineering.
• Design and contribute to in vivo studies evaluating vector performance, HSPC targeting, and functional outcomes.
• Develop scalable and higher-throughput screening workflows to enable evaluation and optimization of large numbers of vector designs.
• Independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and analyze experiments, and use experimental results to recommend subsequent studies.
• Develop, optimize, document, and implement experimental protocols and standard operating procedures to improve reproducibility and support transfer of established workflows.
• Maintain complete and accurate experimental records and sample metadata using electronic laboratory notebooks, databases, and sample-tracking systems.
• Maintain and expand immortalized and primary human cell cultures.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior scientists and research associates as appropriate.
• Present scientific results to project teams, the broader R&D organization, and company leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD in cell biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, biomedical engineering, immunology, hematology, or a related discipline
• Substantial hands-on experience culturing and experimentally manipulating primary human CD34+ cells.
• Strong understanding of HSPC biology, including phenotypes and differentiation states.
• Experience using multi-color flow cytometry panels to phenotype and quantitatively characterize primary cell populations.
• Experience with gene delivery, genome engineering, or other approaches for genetic manipulation of mammalian cells.
• Strong mammalian cell culture skills, including experience maintaining primary and immortalized cells using aseptic technique.
• Strong foundation in molecular and cell biology.
• Experience independently designing experiments, troubleshooting technical challenges, analyzing data, and determining appropriate next steps.
• Demonstrated attention to experimental rigor, data quality, and reproducibility.
• Strong written and verbal scientific communication skills with the ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively across multiple projects.

Preferred

• Relevant academic or industry research experience.
• Experience with producing, using, and characterizing viral vectors, virus-like particles, extracellular vesicles, or synthetic nanoparticles.
• Experience with genome engineering in HSPCs, including CRISPR/Cas systems, base editing, or targeted gene integration.
• Experience evaluating functional properties of engineered HSPCs using assays such as colony-forming unit assays, differentiation assays, long-term culture assays, or in vivo engraftment studies.
• Experience with molecular cloning.
• Experience with mammalian cell plasmid transfection.
• Experience mentoring and training junior scientists in a laboratory environment.

Why Join Syenex

At Syenex, scientists have the opportunity to work on technically challenging problems at the forefront of cell and gene therapy while having a direct impact on the development of new platform technologies. Our team operates with a high degree of scientific ownership, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity.
You will have the opportunity to:

• Help develop new approaches for engineering human immune cells both ex vivo and in vivo.
• Work across vector design, genome engineering, primary cell biology, and quantitative assay development.
• Own scientific questions from experimental design through data interpretation, next steps, and product development.
• See your work rapidly translated from early discovery into platform development and external therapeutic programs.
• Work closely with scientists across disciplines in a collaborative, fast-moving startup environment.

About Syenex

Syenex is an open-science biotechnology company building the delivery technologies that unlock the future of genetic medicine. We engineer cell-specific delivery platforms—including enveloped vectors such as extracellular vesicles and viral vectors—that give cell and gene therapy developers best-in-class, plug-and-play tools spanning discovery through GMP manufacturing.

Founded in 2022 and based in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, Syenex operates on an Open Science model: we make a continuously improving catalog of cell-engineering and delivery technologies universally accessible to academia and biopharma, freeing our partners to focus on their therapeutic insight. Through a growing network of partnerships and CDMO integrations, we help developers move from idea to clinical impact faster, at lower cost, and with higher delivery efficiency.

We are a small, multidisciplinary team that pairs rigorous synthetic biology with a build-fast, collaborate-openly culture. This role is central to how we scale that science.