Research Associate II, Bioprocess Development (Contract)

Prolific Machines•Emeryville, CA

2d•$40 - $48•Onsite

About The Position

Prolific Machines is seeking a Research Associate II to execute upstream cell culture process development experiments. This role involves setting up and operating small-scale bioreactors, sampling cell culture material, and working alongside senior engineers to advance process development objectives. The successful candidate will have hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture process development and a commitment to data integrity. This is an on-site position in Emeryville, CA, with an initial contract duration of up to 6 months, offering potential for extension or conversion to a full-time role.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related life science field, with 2+ years of industry experience in cell culture or upstream process development. Candidates without a degree but with similar industry experience are encouraged to apply.
Thorough knowledge and hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture techniques, including aseptic technique, media preparation, and cell passaging.
Experience operating bench-scale bioreactors and performing cell culture sampling and analysis.
Ability to ramp up quickly and contribute independently to ongoing process development work in a fast-paced, collaborative laboratory environment.
Comfortable with cell culture analytics and instrumentation (e.g., BioProfile® FLEX2, Vi-CELL BLU, Cedex® Bio HT) and be able to interpret in-process data.
Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to safety, quality, good documentation practices, and accurate electronic lab notebook record-keeping.
Strong communication skills and comfortable sharing knowledge at multiple levels of technical detail.
Self-motivated, organized, and able to manage multiple concurrent experiments while collaborating effectively across functional teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Eppendorf DASbox™ and Sartorius Biostat™ B-DCU systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

Under supervision of senior engineers, execute upstream process development experiments, including the setup and takedown of operations, daily monitoring of cell culture health and performance, and routine sampling for in-process analysis.
Perform mammalian cell culture operations using aseptic technique, including media and solution preparation, cell passaging and expansion, and inoculation of shake flasks and small-scale bioreactors.
Operate and monitor small-scale bioreactors, tracking key process parameters and carrying out simple harvest of bench-scale cultures.
Collaborate with senior engineers to troubleshoot routine process challenges and summarize results to support experimental decision-making.
Maintain electronic lab notebooks for all experiments and ensure data integrity and good documentation practices are upheld throughout the course of each study.