Research Senior Associate, Inflammation Research

Takeda • Boston, MA

18d • Hybrid

About The Position

Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc. is seeking a Research Senior Associate, Inflammation Research with the following duties: Design, standardize, and qualify assay platforms to interrogate TYK2-mediated JAK/STAT signaling across JAK-inhibitor programs; run cytokine-stimulated models (IL-12/IL-23/IFN), quantify target engagement and pathway inhibition (e.g., pSTAT), profile potency/selectivity, and integrate literature-driven improvements to enhance sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility; maintain ELN/SOP-compliant documentation and generate study reports suitable for regulatory filings and cross-asset comparability; Design, and qualify transcriptional analysis workflows in primary cells, whole blood, and hematopoietic/immune cell matrix by defining stimulation/compound paradigms, performing RNA extraction, outsourcing RNA-seq and managing data transfer for analysis/interpretation; Establish and govern PBMC biobanking by optimizing isolation methods, streamlining workflows to improve yield/viability/cycle time, maintaining inventory, and capturing ELN- and SOP-compliant records; Optimize lab workflows through Global Compound Management and Laboratory Automation (GCM) coordination, SOP/plate-template standardization, liquid-handling automation, and GENI tracking to increase throughput and reduce error; collaborate with DD&T team to streamline data flow and tool integration; independently troubleshoot protocols, instrumentation (e.g., plate readers, cytometers), and analytical software, and implement corrective actions to resolve complex technical issues; Collaborate with Statistics/Quantitative Sciences group to analyze/interpret data and generate robust reports to support regulatory filings; Establish, standardize and enforce Takeda-standard laboratory safety protocols, quality control measures, and standard operating procedure (SOP) workflows to ensure company and regulatory compliance; Up to 20% remote work allowed. The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location. U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and/or long-term incentives. U.S. based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others. U.S. based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering or related field plus 2 years of related experience.
• Scientific knowledge of immunology, cell and molecular biology, autoimmunity and inflammation
• Perform advanced cellular and molecular biology techniques including cell culture, primary cell culture/isolation, cell imaging (eg. EVOS 500), ELISA, Ella, MSD/Luminex, Western blot, qPCR, RNA extraction, flow cytometry (conventional and spectral), MACS, liquid handler (VIAFLO, Assist Plus), high-throughput automation system (Kingfisher)
• Demonstrate proficiency in GraphPad Prism, FlowJo, Benchling, SnapGene to analyze quantitative and qualitative experimental data to generate valid conclusions, and related statistical/data visualization tools
• Develop, optimize, and analyze immune-function assays (in vitro/ex vivo) to produce phenotypic/functional readouts in support of the development and evaluation of small-molecule, biologic, and nucleic-acid therapeutics
• Semi-automate workflows with liquid handlers to optimize SOPs for standardization, reproducibility and throughput
• Leverage technical experimental expertise to improve the workflow and to mitigate problems related to experimental protocols, laboratory instrumentation, and analytical software, and implement solutions to restore functionality and data integrity
• Communicate results by presenting data at lab/department meetings and cross-functional reviews, and by authoring ELN entries, technical reports, slide decks, and long-form documents (e.g., thesis/manuscript sections) for project stakeholders
• Succeed within cross-functional teams, including medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics, and translational research, to integrate diverse datasets into cohesive project strategies
• Deliver consistent performance in laboratory safety standards, quality control procedures, and regulatory-compliant documentation for all experiments, including accurate and timely recordkeeping in Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) to ensure data integrity and audit readiness

Responsibilities

• Design, standardize, and qualify assay platforms to interrogate TYK2-mediated JAK/STAT signaling across JAK-inhibitor programs
• Run cytokine-stimulated models (IL-12/IL-23/IFN), quantify target engagement and pathway inhibition (e.g., pSTAT), profile potency/selectivity, and integrate literature-driven improvements to enhance sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility
• Maintain ELN/SOP-compliant documentation and generate study reports suitable for regulatory filings and cross-asset comparability
• Design, and qualify transcriptional analysis workflows in primary cells, whole blood, and hematopoietic/immune cell matrix by defining stimulation/compound paradigms, performing RNA extraction, outsourcing RNA-seq and managing data transfer for analysis/interpretation
• Establish and govern PBMC biobanking by optimizing isolation methods, streamlining workflows to improve yield/viability/cycle time, maintaining inventory, and capturing ELN- and SOP-compliant records
• Optimize lab workflows through Global Compound Management and Laboratory Automation (GCM) coordination, SOP/plate-template standardization, liquid-handling automation, and GENI tracking to increase throughput and reduce error
• Collaborate with DD&T team to streamline data flow and tool integration
• Independently troubleshoot protocols, instrumentation (e.g., plate readers, cytometers), and analytical software, and implement corrective actions to resolve complex technical issues
• Collaborate with Statistics/Quantitative Sciences group to analyze/interpret data and generate robust reports to support regulatory filings
• Establish, standardize and enforce Takeda-standard laboratory safety protocols, quality control measures, and standard operating procedure (SOP) workflows to ensure company and regulatory compliance

Benefits

• U.S. based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others.
• U.S. based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level