Senior Director, Head of Biology

Responsibilities

• Own biological validation strategy from human genetics to disease-relevant cellular phenotypes
• Translate genetic and functional genomics evidence into testable hypotheses and experimental plans
• Serve as research project lead for preclinical drug discovery programs
• Lead target validation across multiple modalities including small molecules, biologics, and oligonucleotides
• Provide subject-matter leadership in Parkinson’s disease and neurodegenerative disorders
• Oversee design and execution of iPSC-derived and human-relevant phenotypic assays
• Lead and mentor scientists focused on cell model development and biology capabilities
• Manage experiments executed with external CROs and collaborators
• Partner with data scientists to integrate multi-omic datasets with biology

Requirements

• PhD or MD/PhD in neuroscience, biology, immunology, genetics, or related field
• 10+ years of relevant industry or advanced academic experience
• Leadership experience in target validation and assay/model development
• Success in progressing programs through a preclinical therapeutic pipeline
• Experience using molecular genomic tools like genome engineering or RNAi
• Expertise in human-relevant in vitro systems and iPSC-derived models
• Proven track record of team leadership and people management

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with neuro-inflammation and CNS-relevant cell types
• Experience managing vendor relationships and complex CRO studies
• Experience building biology capabilities within a biotech platform environment
• Ability to operate in fast-paced, ambiguous environments

About the Company

Vesalius is a causality-driven discovery platform focused on translating human genetic evidence into rigorous biological validation and preclinical programs.