Senior Research Associate, Therapeutic Discovery

Flagship Pioneering, Inc.•Cambridge, MA

14h•$81,000 - $107,250

About The Position

FL121 is a privately held biotechnology company engineering nature to build next generation therapeutics. By harnessing naturally occurring chemistry and pairing it with sophisticated high-throughput screening technology, we will unlock the future of de novo drug design via curated data creation and model training. We are building a therapeutic discovery platform centered on biosynthetically-derived chemistry and advanced analytical readouts. This role will provide direct experimental support to the platform’s Build arm: executing cloning, expression, and purification workflows with a high degree of independence and rigor. The Sr. RA will be a hands-on contributor to day-to-day bench operations and will help maintain the throughput and data quality needed to drive rapid, data-grounded decisions.

Requirements

Demonstrated proficiency in modern DNA assembly methods (Gibson Assembly, Type IIS/Golden Gate, and related scarless cloning strategies); able to take a construct from design to sequence-verified clone independently.
Hands-on experience with recombinant protein expression (E. coli required; additional systems a plus) and purification by affinity chromatography and related downstream steps; able to assess purity and integrity via analytical methods.
Familiarity with standard analytical tools (chromatography, gel electrophoresis, UV absorbance) and biochemical assays (ELISA, BLI) for protein and DNA characterization
Track record of executing multi-step molecular biology workflows end-to-end with minimal supervision; strong attention to detail in protocol execution and data recording.
Senior Research Associate: Typically requires a BS degree in a relevant scientific discipline with 5+ years of industry experience; or a Master’s degree in a relevant scientific discipline with 3+ years of experience. Academic experience including co-ops and internships counts toward degree requirements and not work experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting or interfacing with mass spectrometry-based readouts.
Experience with laboratory automation platforms, LIMS/sample tracking systems, or basic scripting (Python/R) for data organization and analysis.

Responsibilities

Execute molecular cloning workflows end-to-end using modern assembly methods (Gibson, T2S/Golden Gate, and related approaches); maintain accurate plasmid maps, sequence records, and construct libraries.
Express and purify recombinant proteins in bacterial systems; independently troubleshoot yield, solubility, and purity issues across the full workflow from culture through final polishing steps.
Maintain rigorous records of experimental conditions, reagent lots, and QC data; contribute to reproducible, well-documented protocols and sample tracking practices that support downstream analytical and screening steps.
Partner with senior scientists and cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality material inputs that enable platform proof-of-concept experiments; communicate results and blockers clearly and proactively.