Principal Scientist

*Position Title: *Principal Scientist & Principal Investigator (PI) Autonomous Biomanufacturing

*Role Type:* Full-Time Executive Technical Lead

*Primary Work Location:* Molecular Sciences Research Center (MSRC), University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR (On-site / Hybrid)

*Department:* Research & Development / Federal Programs

*Position Overview*

Cytoimmune Biologics are seeking a visionary *Principal Scientist / Principal Investigator (PI)* to lead technical execution and non-dilutive federal strategy for our autonomous biomanufacturing platform. Based at the state-of-the-art *University of Puerto Rico Molecular Sciences Research Center (UPR MSRC)* in San Juan, this leader will bridge advanced bioprocess engineering, closed-loop reactor autonomy, and automated cell/tissue engineering with aggressive federal non-dilutive funding pipelines (DoD, DOE, NIH, ARPA-H, BARDA).

The successful candidate will serve as the primary PI on federal awards, direct laboratory operations within the MSRC facility, oversee closed-loop control integration, and steward core intellectual property ensuring strict alignment between R&D milestones, commercial scaling, and federal compliance obligations.

*Key Responsibilities*

*1. Technical Leadership & Platform Operations at UPR MSRC*

* *Closed-Loop Autonomy & Reactor Scale-Up:* Direct laboratory R&D at the MSRC facility on automated bioreactor farm control stacks, closed-loop process monitoring, and autonomous QA/QC systems for biomanufacturing process intensification.
* *Cell & Bioprocess Engineering:* Lead the optimization and validation of automated cell selection, stem cell/NK cell processing, and reshoring workflows for biological therapies, vaccines, and biosimilars.
* *Workcell Integration:* Oversee the reverse-engineering workcell and provenance-tracking pipelines, leveraging MSRC core instrumentation and facilities for high-precision data integrity.

*2. Federal Grant & Contract Leadership (PI Role)*

* *Proposal & Program Direction:* Serve as Principal Investigator (PI) on federal proposals, ARPA-H/ARPA-E grants, and agency contract calls (DoD, DOE, NIH, BARDA, BioMADE, NIIMBL).
* *Phase III Sole-Source Execution:* Lead technical justification and proposal development to leverage acquired SBIR lineage for Phase III non-competitive sole-source contract awards across government defense and health agencies.
* *Institutional & Agency Engagement:* Interface with UPR research collaborators, MSRC facility directors, and federal agency program managers to lead technical reporting and milestone presentations.

*3. Intellectual Property, Data Rights & Compliance*

* *Trade Secret & Data Rights Protection:* In collaboration with patent counsel, ensure formal data-rights assertions (DFARS ** / FAR ***) are embedded in all technical proposals and deliverables to safeguard core algorithms and process data.
* *Bayh-Dole Compliance:* Manage subject invention disclosures, tracking, and election timelines via iEdison to fulfill federal grant requirements without forfeiting proprietary IP.
* *Accounting & Effort Separation:* Enforce strict operational and financial segregation between commercial customer runs and federally funded research cost objectives to protect private IP.

*Required Qualifications*

* *Education:* Ph.D. in Bioprocess Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Synthetic Biology, or a related discipline.
* *Track Record:* Proven history acting as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on successful federal R&D awards (e.g., NIH, DoD, DOE, ARPA-H, or DARPA).
* *Domain Expertise:* Deep technical experience in bioprocess automation, bioreactor design/scale-up, Process Analytical Technology (PAT), closed-loop control architectures, or cell therapy manufacturing (stem cells, NK cells).
* *Location Presence:* Based in or willing to relocate/commute to San Juan, PR to lead on-site research operations at the UPR MSRC facility.
* *Regulatory & IP Literacy:* Working knowledge of federal R&D compliance, including Bayh-Dole subject invention rules, iEdison reporting, and DFARS/FAR technical data rights.

*Federal Compliance & Clearances*

* *Conflict of Interest & Effort Reporting:* Candidates holding active federal funding or academic appointments through UPR or other entities must fully disclose commitments to comply with cross-institutional effort and overlap regulations.
* *Export Control / Security Clearances:* Depending on workcell focus (e.g., DoD reverse-engineering or defense supply-chain sustainment), candidates may need eligibility to work with ITAR/EAR-controlled technical data.

*Preferred Skills & Experience*

* Hands-on involvement with Manufacturing Innovation Institutes such as *BioMADE*, *NIIMBL*, or *ARMI/BioFabUSA*.
* Exposure to biological capacity reshoring programs, including BARDA Rapi