Work Location:

Greater Boston

Summary:

Seeking a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate to support strain and enzyme engineering projects, focusing on molecular biology, strain construction, and analytical workflows. This hands-on role involves executing engineering campaigns, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and processing analytical data to identify high-performing microbial strains.

Responsibilities:

• Design and construct plasmids for gene expression and pathway engineering in microbial hosts.
• Generate and validate chromosomally integrated microbial strains using advanced genetic engineering techniques.
• Cultivate and maintain engineered strains in both solid and liquid formats at laboratory scale.
• Prepare samples from fermentation broths and other matrices for analytical testing using extraction methods.
• Operate and maintain GC and/or LC instrumentation to assess strain performance and product profiles.
• Analyze, QC, and interpret experimental data, summarizing and presenting findings to project teams.
• Ensure accurate data management, including collection, processing, and upload to laboratory information systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize experimental outcomes and maintain laboratory organization and documentation.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 0–4 years’ relevant experience for Research Associate; Bachelor’s with 4–7 years’ or Master’s with 2–4 years’ relevant experience for Senior Research Associate.
• Degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, bioengineering, or a related field (flexible with relevant hands-on experience).
• Hands-on experience with plasmid design and cloning techniques (e.g., Gibson assembly, Golden Gate, restriction/ligation).
• Experience culturing and screening engineered microbial strains in liquid and/or solid formats.
• Direct experience generating chromosomal integrations in E. coli (e.g., lambda Red recombineering, CRISPR-based integration) is a plus.
• Familiarity with LIMS systems and data analysis tools (e.g., Benchling, JMP, Python, SQL) preferred.
• Experience with GC-MS or LC/MS, as well as standard GC-FID or LC/UV-Vis workflows, is advantageous.
• Experience with sample extraction from biological or fermentation matrices and automated liquid-handling systems is desirable.

Published Category:

Discovery Research & Preclinical