Research Associate, Cell Biology

Flagship Pioneering•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

COMPANY DESCRIPTION In today’s healthcare system, disease diagnosis often relies on invasive procedures, such as biopsies, which enable direct interrogation of cellular and tissue health at the suspected source of disease. Due to their invasiveness, cost, and general inconvenience to the patient, biopsies are often conducted after onset of symptomatic disease presenting one of the largest barriers to delivering interventions early in disease progression when they are likely to be most impactful. Flagship Labs 103, Inc. is a privately held early-stage company that is building advanced technological and computational platforms to pioneer the detection of cellular dynamics from minimally invasive biospecimens that can be leveraged to connect individuals to the most effective interventions to prevent onset and progression of disease. FL103 was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an innovation enterprise dedicated to originating and developing companies that invent breakthrough technologies that transform health care, agriculture, and sustainability. Since Flagship’s founding in 2000, the firm has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures including Moderna Therapeutics, Generate Biomedicines, and Indigo Agriculture. THE ROLE FL103 is seeking a highly motivated research associate or senior research associate with experience in running immuno- and molecular assays to join our early-stage biotech company. The successful candidate will be a driven, detail-oriented scientist, enthusiastic about being a key contributor supporting multiple state-of-the-art programs to pioneer the detection of cellular dynamics from minimally invasive biospecimens. The position will provide a unique opportunity to play a foundational role in the development of FL103’s innovative platform.

Requirements

BA/BS or MS in Biology, Cellular Biology, or a related discipline with a minimum of two years industry experience
Experience establishing and maintaining mammalian cell lines
Significant experience with a broad range of immuno- and molecular assays (western blot, ELISA, qPCR, flow cytometry, cellular imaging, etc.)
Demonstrated ability to be a thoughtful contributor to experimental design and data analysis
Ability to manage time and priorities, working both independently and collaboratively within a dynamic team
Excellent written and verbal communication skills to present results and scientific data
Intellectually curious and willing to grow and learn while playing a pivotal role in building the foundation of a new biotech company
Passionate about our mission to deliver transformative assays to detect human disease

Nice To Haves

Experience with isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles from human cell lines, tissues, or biofluids
Experience handling and processing a variety of human biomaterials for use in downstream assays (tissues, blood, organoids, etc.)
Experience with antibody conjugation including fluorescent dyes, oligonucleotides, etc.
Practical experience using liquid chromatography to purify and characterize antibodies and antibody conjugates.

Responsibilities

Responsible for executing daily experiments independently and in coordination with FL103 scientists to support key hypotheses.
Assist in the development of laboratory protocols and optimize workflows to build the foundation of FL103’s platform.
Support lab operations as needed (lab organization and logistics, equipment maintenance, ensuring compliance with all EH&S guidelines, etc.).
Communicate experimental plans and results effectively through oral presentations and written reports (including electronic lab notebooks), ensuring clear and concise dissemination of information to the FL103 team.
Play a critical role in enabling FL103 to deliver timely results to key stakeholders and business partners.