Scientist, mRNA Downstream Purification
Newlimit
South San Francisco, CA · Posted October 20, 2026
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About the job
About NewLimit
NewLimit is a biotechnology company working to radically extend human healthspan. We’re developing medicines to treat age-related diseases by reprogramming the epigenome, a new therapeutic mechanism to restore regenerative potential in aged and diseased cells. We leverage functional genomics, pooled perturbation screening, and machine learning models to unravel the biology of epigenetic aging and disease using experiments of unprecedented scale.
Position
We are seeking a Scientist to lead downstream process development for the mRNA Engineering team. In this role, you will design, optimize, and scale purification processes for mRNA drug substance.
This is a hands-on, lab-based role that spans program process development and platform engineering. It is ideal for a scientist who enjoys solving purification challenges and scaling processes in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
What you'll do
As a member of our team, you will:
Develop downstream purification processes
Design, execute, and analyze process development studies for mRNA purification
Act as the downstream lead for CMC program teams
Help design and implement automated downstream workflows for high-throughput purification of research-grade mRNA
Support execution of research-grade mRNA production runs for discovery and preclinical studies, as needed
Support process scale-up from bench to pilot scale, as needed
Evaluate emerging purification technologies and chromatography resins
Support tech transfer and CDMO manufacturing
Perform tech transfer of downstream processes to CDMOs
Act as person in plant during CDMO manufacturing runs
Support process troubleshooting and deviation investigations at CDMOs
Documentation and collaboration
Maintain organized experimental records in Electronic Lab Notebooks
Author development SOPs and technical development reports
Present experiment results at team meetings
Requirements
Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering, or a related field with 0–3 years of relevant industry experience, or an M.S. with 5+ years or B.S. with 7+ years of relevant industry experience
Hands-on experience developing downstream purification processes for nucleic acids or other biologics
Hands-on experience with tangential flow filtration (TFF)
Experience operating ÄKTA chromatography systems
Ability to independently design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments
Ability to analyze and present complex data sets
Strong technical writing skills
Excellent communication and organizational skills
Nice to have
Experience with traditional nucleic acid purification methods (e.g., desalting, precipitation, size-exclusion)
Experience with plasmid DNA purification
Experience with Design of Experiments (DoE) and statistical data analysis
Experience implementing automated or high-throughput purification workflows
Experience with process transfer to CDMOs
General understanding of cGMP and phase-appropriate process development
Familiarity with mRNA analytics such as HPLC, CGE, and dsRNA ELISA
Benefits
NewLimit offers generous benefits to ensure our team can focus on our mission:
Health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid parental leave
Industry-leading paid time off (PTO) — 20 days/year for all employees + holidays
Meals and snacks on-site
Salary Range: $120,000-155,000*. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. NewLimit offers a competitive benefits package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, and 20 days of PTO. Learn more at: https://www.newlimit.com/careers
*This compensation and benefits information is based on Company's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.