ProFound Therapeutics: Cardiovascular, Metabolic & Neuroscience Co-Op

Location: Cambridge, MA USA Department: Co-Ops & Internships

This position is open exclusively to current Northeastern University Co-Op students.

Work Period: January 2027 to June 2027. This is a full - time, 40 hours per week position with 5 days in office.

About ProFound Therapeutics

ProFound Therapeutics Inc. is a privately held, early-stage biotechnology company with the vision to revolutionize the human therapeutic landscape. ProFound has recently made the news by being included in the Fierce Biotech’s list of the hottest Biotech companies. ProFound Therapeutics Inc. was founded by Flagship Pioneering, a team of entrepreneurial scientists that conceives, creates, resources, and grows first-in-category life sciences companies. Since 2000, Flagship has created over 75 groundbreaking companies that are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. These companies include Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRNA), Seres Therapeutics (MCRB), Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS), Evelo Biosciences (EVLO), Kaleido Biosciences (KLDO), and Indigo Agriculture. ProFound Therapeutics, Inc. is a highly dynamic, entrepreneurial, and innovation-driven organization seeking to hire an exceptional scientist to join our team.

About Flagship Pioneering

ProFound Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering's venture creation engine that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the company’s 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. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

Flagship Pioneering Co-Op Program

Welcome to Flagship Pioneering Co-Op Program for the cohort dreaming big and taking courageous leaps. You'll join fellow peers across our ecosystem of companies and learning firsthand how we build first-in-category companies. You’ll have access to enrichment sessions, a dedicated professional development track, and a mentor that help guide you toward your next step. By the end, you will carry on a meaningful project outcome, a genuine network, and a front-row view of how Flagship pioneer new ventures that change the world.

The Role

ProFound Therapeutics is seeking an innovative and highly motivated Co-Op with experience in cell biology and/or disease biology to play a vital role in the company’s Cardiovascular, Metabolic & Neuroscience team. Under the supervision of senior scientists on the Cardiovascular, Metabolic & Neuroscience team, this individual will receive structured training and hands-on experience in in vitro cell-based assays supporting ongoing mid- and high-throughput functional projects. This individual will contribute scientific and technical expertise to a multidisciplinary team, emphasizing conceptualization, experimentation, data analysis, presentation, and strategic planning. The ideal candidate for this position will have coursework or early research experience in cell biology, physiology, or a related discipline and be enthusiastic and capable of working in a multidisciplinary (e.g. genomics, bioinformatics, protein biochemistry) team in the biosciences. The candidate should be able to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced entrepreneurial setting. The Co-Op is designed to complement the candidate’s academic training and provide exposure to industry-based research and therapeutic development.

Key Responsibilities:

Serve as a contributor to the Cardiovascular, Metabolic & Neuroscience team, whose mission is to discover new therapeutics and validate new therapeutic targets

Collaborate with senior scientists to support ongoing cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroscience projects

Culture, differentiate, and maintain human primary cells and cell lines (e.g. adipocytes, endothelial cells/HUVECs, hepatocytes, and skeletal muscle cells)

Assist with the development and testing of functional assays using human primary cells for low-, mid-, and high-throughput applications via high-content imaging and confocal immunofluorescence (IF)

Support disease-relevant readouts, including mitochondrial function, endothelial barrier/permeability, glucose uptake, and lipolysis

Prepare reagents for functional assays and screens, including peptide reconstitution and aliquoting

Analyze, interpret, and present experimental data (e.g. GraphPad Prism, Excel) at team meetings and in reports

Organize and maintain experimental records in Benchling for review

Report experimental plans and results to the scientific team

Proactively review literature to contribute to new ideas and methods/technologies for discovery and therapeutic areas

Minimum Qualifications:

Pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in cell biology, biology, physiology, biochemistry, or a related field

Coursework or hands-on research experience in mammalian cell culture and basic laboratory techniques, and attention to detail

Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of conveying technical information in a clear and thorough manner

Strong collaborative skills with evidence of working in a team

Preferred Qualifications:

Prior industry or academic research co-op experience in cell biology or a re