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Job Details: Level: Senior, Job Location: Arlington/ DC Area - Arlington, VA, Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: PhD, Salary Range: $140000.00 - $160000.00Salary/year, Job Shift: Day, Job Category: Consultant, About this Role The Senior Scientist/Engineer collaborates with the ARPA-H Program Manager and program team as a highly trusted scientific and technical advisor to develop, fund, and manage bold research initiatives that accelerate better health outcomes. Your work will span regenerative medicine, biological systems, autonomous experimentation, high-throughput screening, sensors, and advanced research platforms. You will support R&D programs including ARPA-H’s new COSMOS (Comprehensive Organ System Modeling in Outer Space), which seeks to determine whether low Earth orbit (LEO) accelerates aging and establish the U.S. as the leader in the LEO biotechnology domain. Working independently and within an established team, you will critically assess research data, help evaluate research progress, and translate complex findings into actionable information for technical and non-technical audiences. Key Outcomes Help establish whether tissue aging accelerates in low Earth orbit compared with Earth across brain, heart, uterine, and kidney models. If accelerated aging is demonstrated, support a fully autonomous, high-throughput drug-screening platform that enables faster, less costly development of regenerative therapies and encourages sustainable public- and private-sector investment in space biotechnology. Establish whether tissue aging accelerates in low Earth orbit compared with Earth across brain, heart, uterine, and kidney models Build and establish the U.S. as the leader in the LEO biotechnology domain by convening seemingly disparate technologies across in vitro models, autonomous research and development hardware, new launch vehicles, and biopharma. Create an entirely new first-in-class platform for fully autonomous, high-throughput drug screening in LEO. Generate downstream pharmaceutical and private interest and investment to create a sustainable pathway for drug testing and, ultimately, manufacturing and clinical trials in space. What You'll Do Evaluate the scientific and R&D landscape to identify research portfolio gaps and critical needs aligned with the ARPA-H mission. Monitor and track performers’ progress against established metrics. Synthesize complex information and develop briefings for technical and non-technical audiences. Support program administration by collecting, sorting, and analyzing information and preparing internal programmatic reports and briefings on health-related topics. Travel within the continental United States as needed to support the programs and Program Manager (approximately 10–20%). Qualifications: Required Qualifications Experience in biomedical engineering strategy and a PhD in biomedical sciences, preferably in biomedical engineering, biochemistry, biomaterials, cell biology, regenerative medicine, cancer biology, or a related field. Five years of industry (e.g., biotechnology or biopharmaceutical companies) experience; 2-3 years of prior Government experience; and Some experience with regulatory affairs in regenerative medicine. Advanced scientific or engineering expertise in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, organoids, microphysiological systems (organ-on-chip), aging biology, or related biomedical sciences. Strong PowerPoint and Excel skills, including keyboard shortcuts and the ability to create slides and spreadsheets in real time during high-pressure meetings. Exceptional oral and written communication skills. Professional curiosity, a continuous drive to learn, and the ability to focus on assigned tasks. Must have the ability to obtain a federal government Public Trust clearance. Preferred Qualifications Basic and applied research experience and prior support to Program Managers in an R&D environment. Experience with space-based research, microgravity biology, autonomous laboratory systems, or low Earth orbit operations; advantageous but not required. Experience designing or evaluating complex preclinical models, translational research, and quantitative biological experiments, particularly involving multiple tissue systems or therapeutic development pathways.
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