Senior Patent Associate

PopVax is an Indian full-stack biotechnology company developing novel mRNA vaccines and therapeutics using computational protein design. Our first vaccine is a next-generation COVID-19 booster, which will enter a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial in the U.S. next year. We have a preclinical pipeline of 6 additional novel vaccine candidates built on our mRNA-LNP platform that we will be taking into clinical trials over the next few years. Our work to date has been funded primarily via project agreements totalling 10+ million USD with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Vitalik Buterin's public health & biosecurity organization Balvi.

We seek a creative, detail-oriented, scientifically grounded Senior Patent Associate to help translate our cutting-edge research into developing strong patent assets and support product development mindful of the evolving patent landscape. This is a unique opportunity to join our IP team in Hyderabad to contribute to and execute our patent strategies. The work will be intellectually challenging, and the hours may sometimes be long, but there will not be a moment of boredom.

Primary Responsibilities Will Include

• Conducting patentability, freedom-to-operate, validity / invalidity, & state-of-the-art searches, including bio-sequence searches, on paid and free databases, and preparing search reports
• Identifying and preparing literature reviews, technological trends, and competitive intelligence reports
• Performing infringement analysis and preparing claim charts and maps
• Identifying FTO issues proactively
• Providing support in drafting and prosecuting patent applications
• Interacting with multidisciplinary teams involving R&D, Manufacturing, Clinical and Regulatory, and providing IP support

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and skills :

We nurture a collaborative work environment focused on solving the cutting-edge multidisciplinary challenges of our novel mRNA platform and, more importantly, provide a platform to work at the frontiers of multiple therapeutic areas. And we offer competitive compensation and comprehensive health insurance covering immediate family (including pre-existing conditions).

Skills Required

literature reviews