Senior Research Associate, Strain Engineering

Role: Senior Research Associate supporting microbial strain engineering for recombinant protein production in a biotech startup setting. Primary objectives include designing and assembling plasmids, engineering microbial strains (e.g., E. coli, yeast), and evaluating strain performance for bioproduction. Responsibilities span molecular biology tasks such as DNA assembly, sequencing analysis, microbial transformation, genotyping, and functional assays, alongside lab operations like maintaining microbial banks, preparing media, and ensuring safety standards. The role involves cross-functional collaboration with discovery, bioprocess development, downstream processing, and analytics teams to optimize strain development processes. Qualifications: Bachelor’s (5-7 years) or Master’s (3-5 years) in Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or related field; hands-on molecular biology experience including DNA design, cloning, and microbial culture handling; strong organizational and experimental troubleshooting skills. Preferred: experience engineering industrial microbes (e.g., Bacillus, yeast), flow cytometry, protein purification, assay design, and familiarity with Lab informatics tools like Benchling and Geneious. Location: Cambridge, MA. The position is suited for a technically rigorous, independent scientist comfortable in a fast-paced environment, supporting innovation in microbial bioproduction for therapeutic protein development.