Scientist / Principal Research Associate, Beta Islet

Sana Biotechnology Inc•Cambridge, MA

46d

About The Position

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. You will join the Beta Islet Team at the Cambridge location to perform and execute routine stem cell (SC)-islets differentiation. As a member of the team, you will perform experiments critical to the program's product development. The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in large-scale, directed iPSC differentiation and hands-on operation of closed-system and bioreactor platforms. This role will work closely with both R&D and PD teams, with a primary focus in R&D to drive innovation, establish a robust differentiation workflow, and generate data to support translation to a clinical manufacturing process. The ability to work in a highly collaborative environment and learn from each other will be essential to your success. The position reports to the Senior Scientist of the Beta Islet Team.

Requirements

PhD MSc or BSc in Stem cell biology, biomedical Engineering or related fields with 1-2 years (PhD) 5+ years (MSc) or 7+ years (BSc) of direct cell therapy industry experience
Expertise in iPSC culture and directed differentiation, preferably toward pancreatic islet lineages
Experienced in handling large-scale directed differentiations
Proficiency in aseptic techniques and single-use or closed-system workflows.
Proficient with standard flow cytometry and imaging software (e.g. FACS, Diva, FlowJo, ImageJ, Prism, etc.)

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with closed systems (tube welder, sealer, single-use assemblies)
Expertise in controlled bioreactor setup, operation, automation, and process control (DO, pH, perfusion, agitation)
Knowledge or direct experience in directed stem cell differentiation toward pancreatic islet lineage
Proven ability to optimize differentiation yield and reproducibility across platforms
Passion for GMP transition, automation, and continuous process improvement
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and enthusiasm for advancing cell therapies to the clinic

Responsibilities

Lab-based role focused on culture and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells
Perform and optimize iPSC culture, expansion in both 2D and 3D platforms
Operate and optimize closed and automated bioreactor systems under aseptic and GMP-aligned conditions
Collaborate with PD team to enable scale-up and technology transfer
Experience bridging between R&D and PD is a plus
Analysis of differentiated cell product - flow cytometry, PCR, fluorescent microscopy
Participate in design and execution of experiments critical for SC-451 product development
Document experiments, analyze data, and prepare summaries
Maintain excellent scientific documentation and contribute to SOP development
Assuring compliance with all relevant lab safety and biosafety regulations
Demonstrate Sana's core values and the attributes that support these core values (Lead from every seat, Thrive as a team, Make it happen)

Benefits

For benefit eligible employees, we cover a generous portion of the cost for employee health coverage, making high-quality care more accessible and affordable.
We offer ample time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.
For more details on our benefits, visit Sana's Benefits Portal.

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