Sr. Research Associate, Protein Sciences

Role Summary

Senior Research Associate, Protein Sciences role focusing on expression, purification, and biochemical characterization of proteins in mammalian systems to support discovery and preclinical validation of therapeutics.

Location: Onsite at San Diego office.

Responsibilities

• Manage the expression and purification of proteins in mammalian cell systems, supporting multiple teams and molecular biology efforts as needed.
• Develop and employ processes to produce endotoxin-free material.
• Operate and maintain relevant laboratory equipment including incubators, biosafety cabinets, FPLCs, and other related instruments.
• Review and contribute to the creation and revision of SOPs related to expression and purification practices and maintain accurate reporting in an electronic lab notebook system.
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of work areas, ensuring compliance with laboratory safety standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor‚Äôs degree in a relevant scientific discipline and 5+ years of experience in molecular biology and/or protein science operations within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry is required; or,
• Master‚Äôs degree in a life sciences discipline and 3+ years of experience in molecular biology and/or protein science operations within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry is preferred.
• Knowledge of mammalian cell transfection techniques, especially lipofection, for CHO and HEK293 cells is required.
• Familiarity with chromatography techniques such as protein A, ion exchange, Ni-NTA, and desalting is required.
• Knowledge of endotoxin-removal procedures and methods for maintaining instrumentation to prevent endotoxin contamination.
• Experience with FPLC operation and troubleshooting, particularly using √ÑKTA Avant or √ÑKTA Pure systems.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques, including cloning (restriction enzyme digestion/ligation, Golden Gate assembly, or Gibson assembly), bacterial transformation and culture, and DNA preparation and characterization.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Education

• Not specified beyond degree requirements; see Qualifications above.