Senior Director, Head of Biology

Responsibilities

• Own the biological validation strategy, translating human genetic evidence into disease-relevant cellular phenotypes and translational readouts.
• Lead target validation across multiple modalities, including small molecules, biologics, and oligonucleotides.
• Serve as the research project lead for preclinical drug discovery programs, driving timelines, data quality, and scientific narratives.
• Provide subject-matter leadership in neurodegeneration, specifically Parkinson’s disease and neuroinflammatory mechanisms.
• Oversee the design and execution of iPSC-derived human-relevant phenotypic assays and functional readouts.
• Build, mentor, and manage a high-caliber team of scientists and coordinate matrixed teams across programs.
• Partner with data science, chemistry, and platform operations to integrate multi-omic datasets with biological validation.
• Manage external partnerships and CROs, including study design and oversight of complex assay execution.

Requirements

• PhD or MD/PhD in neuroscience, biology, immunology, genetics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant industry or advanced academic experience, including leadership roles.
• Proven expertise in target validation and assay/model development.
• Deep experience with human-relevant in vitro systems, such as iPSC-derived models.
• Demonstrated success in using molecular genomic tools (e.g., genome engineering, RNAi) to interrogate biological systems.
• Strong track record of leading and mentoring scientific teams and managing direct reports.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex data for senior stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with neuroinflammation/immunology and CNS-relevant cell types (e.g., microglia, astrocytes, neurons).
• Experience building biology capabilities within a biotech or platform environment.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and complex CRO-led studies.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and action-oriented environment.

Benefits

• Healthcare coverage.
• Annual incentive program.
• Retirement benefits.
• A broad range of other competitive benefits.

About the Company

Vesalius is a biotechnology company focused on a causality-driven discovery platform. We translate human genetic evidence into rigorous biological validation to advance preclinical programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurodegeneration and cardiovascular biology.