Senior Scientist I, Aerosol Design & Transport

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation company that invents and builds companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps. Those big leaps in human health, sustainability and beyond exponentially accelerate scientific progress in areas ranging from disease detection and treatment and nature-positive agriculture to novel applications of AI that are driving the creation of new technologies.   

What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance science and technology by uniting innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our scientific founders, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and transform for the benefit of people and planet.   

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. 

THE ROLE

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to lead the design, characterization, and performance optimization of aerosolizable particle systems. This role will be responsible for developing a foundational understanding of how engineered particles behave during generation, dispersion, and transport in air, and translating that understanding into robust, scalable material and system designs.

The Senior Scientist will operate at the interface of materials science, aerosol physics, and experimental engineering — owning the development of aerosol testing capabilities, guiding experimental strategy, and linking particle design to airborne performance. This individual will play a critical role in shaping early technical direction, establishing core methodologies, and driving progress from concept through validation.

This is a highly cross-functional role, working closely with formulation, process development, and hardware teams to ensure tight integration between particle design, production methods, and real-world deployment constraints.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the design and optimization of particle systems for aerosolization, with ownership over key parameters including size distribution, morphology, density, and dispersibility;
• Develop and scale experimental capabilities for aerosol generation and testing, including selection, design, and validation of dispersal systems and measurement tools;
• Define and execute experimental strategies to understand relationships between particle properties, environmental conditions, and airborne behavior;
• Characterize aerosol performance using appropriate instrumentation (e.g., particle sizers, optical counters, flow diagnostics), and translate findings into design rules and system improvements;
• Develop and apply computational approaches to model aerosol physics and particle dispersal, integrating atmospheric transport and dispersion models or Lagrangian particle simulations with experimental data to inform particle and system design;
• Collaborate cross-functionally with formulation and process development teams to align particle production methods with aerosol performance requirements;
• Establish best practices, workflows, and technical standards for aerosol experimentation, including calibration, reproducibility, and data quality;
• Interpret complex datasets and communicate insights clearly to guide technical and strategic decision-making;
• Contribute to system-level thinking around particle generation, dispersion, and scale-up, incorporating constraints from real-world operating environments;
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to building a strong experimental and technical culture within the team.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

• PhD in aerosol science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, materials science, or a related discipline, with 5+ years of relevant industry or applied research experience (or Master’s/Bachelor’s with significant additional experience);
• Deep expertise in aerosol science, including particle generation, transport, and measurement, with a strong understanding of how particle properties influence airborne behavior;
• Hands-on experience with aerosol instrumentation (e.g., SMPS, APS, optical particle counters) and the ability to design and interpret complex experiments;
• Strong foundation in transport phenomena, fluid dynamics, and particle physics as applied to airborne systems;
• Experience working with particulate materials, including connecting physical properties (size, shape, density, surface characteristics) to performance outcomes;
• Experience with modeling aerosol transport and dispersion using Lagrangian particle dispersion models, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, or related numerical approaches is a strong plus;
• Demonstrated ability to design experimental systems and build or adapt setups for aerosol generation and testing;
• Proven ability to lead technical projects in fast-paced, early-stage environments, balancing hands-on work with strategic thinking;
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical findings into clear, decision-relevant insights;
• Demonstrated curiosity, adaptability, and comfort working across disciplines to translate early-stage scientific ideas into functional systems.

LOCATION:  Cambridge, MA

ABOUT FLAGSHIP PIONEERING:

Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated more than 100 companies. Many of these companies have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

At Flagship, we accept impossible missions to enable bigger leaps. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We recognize that great candidates often bring unique strengths without fulfilling every qualification. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your background and interest in Flagship.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

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The salary range for this role is $126,000 - $159,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Protocos currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Protocos's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.