Senior Research Associate, DNA & Strain Construction

Asimov • Boston, MA

1d

About The Position

Our mission at Asimov is to advance humanity's ability to design living systems, enabling biotechnologies with outsized benefit to society. We're developing a mammalian synthetic biology platform––from cells to software––to enable the design and manufacture of next-generation therapeutics. We are seeking a Senior Research Associate to join our DNA & Strain Construction team in Boston, MA. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record designing and constructing plasmids, using different assembly strategies. They will be a key contributor to our team, working closely with other DNASC team members using the latest molecular biology and automation techniques to help advance our high throughput DNA construction pipeline, at the same pushing the limits of DNA assembly capabilities. They will also work closely with Asimov’s Synthetic Biology, High Throughput and Cell Line Development teams. This is a unique opportunity to work at a nimble, forward-thinking synthetic biology startup and help build the foundation for engineering biology. About the Role: Conduct PCR, Golden Gate or Gibson Assembly, plasmid purification, and sequencing prep to validate DNA constructs, both manually and in high-throughput using liquid handlers (e.g., Echo, Bravo, Hamilton STAR) following Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) Contribute to vector assembly design, and remediation plans. Work with your manager to generate regulatory reports to support our customers’ needs. Maintain accurate sample tracking and documentation in LIMS to ensure data integrity and reproducibility. Assist with large-scale plasmid preparations (LSPs) to support internal and external projects. Collaborate with scientists and other RAs to troubleshoot workflows, improve efficiency and develop new initiatives within the team. Work as part of a multifunctional team, you’ll partner with synthetic biologists on the DNASC team as well as members of the Cell Line Development, Synthetic Biology and Software Development teams. About You: You have a B.S. or M.S. degree in biology, biochemistry, biological engineering, or a related field. Deep bench experience is necessary to be successful in this role, and you will have 3+ years of biopharma experience. You value teamwork and are motivated to contribute to the team’s goals. Working as part of a highly integrated research team is exciting to you. Automation experience is a plus but a desire to learn to develop automation of lab experiments is a must. You will have independently or collaboratively designed an assembly plan to generate plasmids using either Gibson or Golden Gate. You have experience, outside of coursework, with modern molecular biology and/or microbiological techniques such as various DNA assembly methods (Golden Gate, Gibson), PCR, colony picking, and DNA preps. Being detail-oriented isn’t just a sound bite for you, it’s part of your DNA. Experience with optimizing cloning protocols (PCR, Gibson, and especially Golden Gate) and basic mammalian cell culture techniques is a plus. Experience extracting data using scripts from large databases or desire to learn is a plus. We’re big on tools here! We’re happy to train you but if you know your way around Benchling, LIMS, Google Drive, and Excel, it’ll help you come up to speed quickly. We're fueled by a vision to transform biological engineering into a fully-fledged engineering discipline. Should you join our team, you will grow with a constantly evolving organization and push the frontiers of synthetic biology. Company culture is key to Asimov, and ours is a culture of recombination; we believe that our mission can only be achieved by bringing together a diverse team with a mixture of backgrounds and perspectives.

Requirements

• You have a B.S. or M.S. degree in biology, biochemistry, biological engineering, or a related field.
• Deep bench experience is necessary to be successful in this role, and you will have 3+ years of biopharma experience.
• You value teamwork and are motivated to contribute to the team’s goals.
• Working as part of a highly integrated research team is exciting to you.
• Automation experience is a plus but a desire to learn to develop automation of lab experiments is a must.
• You will have independently or collaboratively designed an assembly plan to generate plasmids using either Gibson or Golden Gate.
• You have experience, outside of coursework, with modern molecular biology and/or microbiological techniques such as various DNA assembly methods (Golden Gate, Gibson), PCR, colony picking, and DNA preps.
• Being detail-oriented isn’t just a sound bite for you, it’s part of your DNA.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with optimizing cloning protocols (PCR, Gibson, and especially Golden Gate) and basic mammalian cell culture techniques is a plus.
• Experience extracting data using scripts from large databases or desire to learn is a plus.
• We’re big on tools here! We’re happy to train you but if you know your way around Benchling, LIMS, Google Drive, and Excel, it’ll help you come up to speed quickly.

Responsibilities

• Conduct PCR, Golden Gate or Gibson Assembly, plasmid purification, and sequencing prep to validate DNA constructs, both manually and in high-throughput using liquid handlers (e.g., Echo, Bravo, Hamilton STAR) following Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs)
• Contribute to vector assembly design, and remediation plans.
• Work with your manager to generate regulatory reports to support our customers’ needs.
• Maintain accurate sample tracking and documentation in LIMS to ensure data integrity and reproducibility.
• Assist with large-scale plasmid preparations (LSPs) to support internal and external projects.
• Collaborate with scientists and other RAs to troubleshoot workflows, improve efficiency and develop new initiatives within the team.
• Work as part of a multifunctional team, you’ll partner with synthetic biologists on the DNASC team as well as members of the Cell Line Development, Synthetic Biology and Software Development teams.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees