Research Associate, Process Development

Position Summary

Cellares is seeking an innovative and motivated Research Associate with expertise across cellular biology and engineering to join the R&D group within the Process Development team. This individual will interface across many parts of the company and contribute significantly to the development of our advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform.  

The primary focus of this position is to support the design and execution of collaborative experiments that span biological, engineering and technology development. This work will help establish and optimize the fundamental performance capabilities of Cellares’ hardware, software and infrastructure, generating cross-cutting datasets and guidances that will benefit all programs.

The ideal candidate will have a strong science and engineering background, with demonstrated experience with cell culture, cell purification/selection and/or genetic manipulation. Expertise within mechanical, chemical, software and/or systems engineering would further position a candidate to succeed in this role. 

Candidates should enjoy working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment, and be prepared to tackle a broad range of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute mammalian cell therapy process development and hardware testing experiments using scientific principles and statistical approaches (DOE)
• Interface cross-functionally with Systems and Software Engineering teams to test new technologies relevant to process onboarding and Cell Shuttle performance optimization
• Analyze and present technical results at departmental meetings
• Contribute to high-quality technical documents, procedures, reports
• Become quickly adept at identifying bottlenecks and opportunities through hands-on independent and collaborative investigations
• Gather and review system requirements, develop robust test plans, oversee and support execution of experiments
• Develop training materials for process protocols and techniques, and onboard new team members as needed
• Serve as subject matter expert where appropriate for cell therapy process technology improvements, and represent Process Development as needed

Requirements

• BS/MS or equivalent in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry, or related field
• 0-4 years of process development or cGMP manufacturing experience in the cell therapy or bioprocessing field
• Strong understanding of cell biology and engineering principles
• Experience designing experiments and troubleshooting semi-automated instruments
• Hands-on experience with cell culture, gene editing, magnetic selection, etc. preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to interpret, summarize, and present scientific results in a clear manner to technical and non-technical audiences
• Creative, self-motivated, eager to take on a wide variety of tasks and grow with the evolving technology
• Self-awareness, integrity, authenticity, enthusiasm and a growth mindset