Research Associate, Cell Culture & Assay Operations
Boston, MA
$35-45/hr
6-Month Contract The Research Associate, Cell Culture & Assay Operations will play a critical part in expanding our low and high-throughput cell culture and screening capacity, executing routine mammalian cell maintenance, transfections, and genetic perturbation assays (siRNA/CRISPR). Research Associate, Cell Culture & Assay Operations Responsibilities:
- Maintain, expand, and quality-control mammalian cell lines (including immortalized, primary, or iPSC models) to support continuous screening schedules.
- Perturbation Screen Execution: Perform routine transfections (lipid-based and/or electroporation) and execute high-throughput siRNA and CRISPR perturbation protocols following established SOPs.
- Rigorous Documentation & LIMS Tracking: Build and maintain meticulous Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) records, write/update standard operating procedures (SOPs), and log sample metadata within LIMS tracking software to guarantee full data traceability.
- Actively participate in routine lab upkeep, reagent inventory management, plate staging, and equipment maintenance cycles to ensure a high-functioning, safe research environment.
- Coordinate daily operational hand-off s with midstream Automation/HTS and downstream NGS teams to maintain steady workflow progression across production campaigns.
Research Associate, Cell Culture & Assay Operations Requirements:
- BS in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related discipline with 3 to 6 years of industry experience.
- Hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture maintenance beyond standard cancer cell lines, cell counting, plating, and cryopreservation using aseptic technique.
- Familiarity with high-throughput automation.
- Strong documentation including ELN, LIMS, and SOP writing and updates.
- Demonstrated experience with cell-based assays, transfections (siRNA, plasmid, or CRISPR), and 384-well format experience is a strong plus.
- Experience with transfections, either lipid-based or electroporation is preferred.
- Experience with chemical perturbation of cells is preferred.
- Experience with qPCR or RT-qPCR.
- Strong collaborative skills, reliability, and clear communication when coordinating shared laboratory spaces and scheduling hand-offs.
