Bioinformatics Project Leader – Expression Cassette Design and Molecular Engineering

The Drug Cell is seeking a Bioinformatics Project Leader to contribute to the development of its cellular and molecular engineering platform, at the heart of innovative cell therapy projects.

The successful candidate will be involved in the in silico design of expression cassettes, CRISPR/Cas tools, small regulatory RNAs, and molecular constructs intended to support the company’s experimental and translational programs.

This position is intended for a candidate willing to work in an agile, entrepreneurial, and demanding biotech environment, with concrete responsibilities and close interaction with scientific teams.

The position will report directly to the Head of cell and molecular engineering platform of The Drug Cell.

Your role

• Perform in silico design of expression cassettes for cDNA expression, including promoters, signal sequences, terminators, gene regulation elements, and polycistronic expression systems.
• Design constructs for CRISPR/Cas genome editing systems, including guide RNA selection, off-target analysis, and HDR/NHEJ template optimization.
• Design cassettes for the expression of small regulatory RNAs, including miRNA, shRNA, siRNA, with analysis of secondary structures and predicted targets.
• Use specialized design tools such as Benchling, SnapGene, Geneious, CRISPOR, CRISPRscan, RNAfold, linearDesign, mRNArchitect, Vienna RNA Package, and Cas-OFFinder.
• Carry out computational validation of constructs using tools for expression prediction and RNA stability assessment.
• Translate biological and OMICS data into molecular design hypotheses and priorities.
• Prepare design files, synthesis/cloning specifications, scientific justification notes, design reports, and project documentation.
• Contribute to scientific decision-making and ensure technology watch on expression cassette design, CRISPR technologies, viral and non-viral vectors, gene regulation strategies, and emerging solutions relevant to internal projects.

Your Profile

• Master’s degree to PhD level in molecular biology, biotechnology, vectorology, gene therapy, computational biology, or a related field.
• Significant experience in the design of genetic constructs, expression cassettes, viral or non-viral vectors, or CRISPR tools.
• Strong command of molecular design tools such as Benchling, Geneious, and SnapGene.
• In-depth knowledge of cis/trans regulatory elements and expression optimization strategies, including codon optimization, UTR engineering, and splicing.
• Expertise in CRISPR guide design tools such as CRISPOR, CRISPRscan, Cas-OFFinder, and CRISPResso2.
• Skills in RNA structure prediction and small RNA design using tools such as RNAfold, Mfold, miRBase, miRDB, and TargetScan.
• Good understanding of RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, transcriptomic, genomic, and OMICS analyses.
• Ability to interact with experts in NGS data analysis, bioinformatics, biostatistics, and data science applied to biology.
• Excellent written and oral scientific communication skills; fluent English required.

Nice to have

• Experience in biotech, gene therapy, cellular engineering, translational R&D, or a start-up environment.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, strong interest in innovation, and motivation to contribute to the development of an ambitious biotech platform.
• Ability to connect molecular design, experimental needs, development constraints, and results from complex biological datasets.
• Autonomy, proactivity, sense of priorities, and ability to move forward in an agile environment where projects evolve rapidly.
• Scientific curiosity and motivation for therapeutic or translational projects .
• Contribute to the development of a proprietary technology platform in the field of cell therapies.
• Work closely with experimental teams and specialists in complex biological data.
• Join an agile, entrepreneurial, and innovation-driven environment.
• Have a direct impact on experimental, translational, and therapeutic projects.