Principal Scientist – Galway (On-site)Our client is an early-stage, fast-growing biotechnology company using a proprietary bioengineered stem-cell exosome delivery platform to develop transformative therapies for respiratory disease, cancer, and beyond.What you'll work on:Lead complex research programmes across lung cancer, CF, COPD, ARDS + future CNS applicationsDrive scientific innovation in EV/exosome engineering, gene therapy & regenerative biologyDesign & execute preclinical studies: delivery, mechanism, efficacy, safetyDevelop & validate assays (qPCR, microRNA, flow cytometry, ELISA, Western blot, NTA, protein expression)Contribute to upstream/downstream process development, scale-up and CMC-readinessCollaborate closely with CMC, regulatory, toxicology and external CRO/academic partnersMentor Senior Scientists & shape best-practice across the R&D organisationSupport IND-enabling packages, documentation and regulatory interactionsWhat they're looking for:PhD + 5–7+ years in biotech, gene therapy, or advanced biologicsExpertise in molecular/cellular biology, gene & microRNA engineering, EV biology, or exosome-based deliveryExperience advancing therapeutic candidates through preclinical → INDKnowledge of scalable cell culture systems, EV production & purificationStrong analytical assay development experience (flow cytometry, ELISA, qPCR, NTA, protein work)Understanding of GMP/GLP and CMC workflowsLeadership experience within fast-paced biotech teams