Senior Research Associate, Cell Biology & Assay Development

Deep Origin•South San Francisco, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Deep Origin is hiring a hands-on Senior Research Associate to build and run cell-based assays and engineered cell lines supporting drug discovery programs. The role works day to day with a senior scientist in R&D, owning bench execution while helping shape assay strategy. Core work includes maintaining mammalian cell lines, engineering them with RNP-based CRISPR for knockouts and knock-ins, generating validated stable lines, and developing robust functional assays. The resulting data feeds into AI- and physics-based compound design, making data quality and reproducibility important alongside throughput. This is a primarily onsite, laboratory-based position in South San Francisco. It involves regular use of standard laboratory equipment and PPE, work with biological samples and research reagents, prolonged standing or sitting, repetitive hand motions, and moving laboratory supplies up to approximately 25 pounds, with reasonable accommodation as needed. Occasional work outside standard business hours may be required for time-sensitive experiments. Travel is minimal. Applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer; visa sponsorship or transfer is unavailable.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in biology, cell biology, bioengineering, biochemistry, immunology, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Relevant hands-on laboratory experience.
Demonstrated mammalian cell culture experience with strong aseptic technique, including routine maintenance of multiple lines in parallel.
Hands-on CRISPR gene-editing experience, including knockout generation and ideally knock-in, with validation of edited clones.
Experience with transient transfection and generating and validating stable cell lines, including clonal selection and banking.
Experience executing at least one cell-based assay readout, such as flow cytometry, plate-based viability, reporter, or proliferation assays.
Ability to analyze data, assess assay quality, communicate findings clearly, and work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary setting.
Commitment to laboratory safety, research integrity, accurate documentation, and responsible handling of biological materials.
Authorization to work for any employer in the U.S.; the company is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on RNP-based CRISPR knockout and knock-in using Lonza Nucleofector platforms (4D-Nucleofector or equivalent), including program and buffer selection for the target cell type.
Experience with high-throughput or automated assay platforms, including 96- or 384-channel electronic pipetting systems and benchtop pipetting robots (INTEGRA VIAFLO, MINI 96, VOYAGER, ASSIST PLUS, or comparable), and multimode plate readers.
Experience developing or optimizing BRET, TR-FRET/HTRF, or related proximity-based assay formats.
Molecular biology bench skills, including construct and primer design, cloning, qPCR or digital PCR, and Western blot.
Drug discovery experience in biotech or pharma, including work on a target-to-lead or lead-optimization program.
Familiarity with assay qualification concepts, including design of experiments, dose-response analysis, curve fitting, acceptance criteria, and statistical assessment of assay variability.
Experience with neuronal or other CNS-relevant cell models.
Experience with multiplexed editing, including triple knockouts or combined knockout and knock-in lines.

Responsibilities

Culture, expand, and maintain mammalian cell lines using strict aseptic technique; monitor cell health, viability, density, and passage history.
Maintain cryopreserved cell stocks, conduct mycoplasma and identity checks, and maintain accurate lineage records.
Optimize RNP-based CRISPR/Cas editing in mammalian cell lines for single and double knockouts.
Design and execute targeted knock-in strategies, including donor design, delivery optimization, and editing-efficiency assessment.
Genotype and validate edits using sequencing, qPCR or digital PCR, and protein-level readouts.
Perform transient transfections to test constructs, optimize reagent and nucleic acid amounts and harvest timing, and confirm expression before stable-line generation.
Generate stable lines using viral and non-viral delivery; conduct clonal selection, expansion, functional validation, and banking.
Characterize clones for expression level, assay performance, and stability over passage.
Develop, optimize, and run functional assays, including plate-based, reporter, proximity-based, flow cytometry, and other cellular functional readouts.
Optimize seeding density, stimulation conditions, dose range, incubation time, controls, and acceptance criteria to improve assay sensitivity, dynamic range, and reproducibility.
Prepare test articles, reagents, controls, and assay plates according to protocols and study plans.
Analyze dose-response data, fit curves, assess assay quality using measures such as Z', signal window, and variability, and flag trends, outliers, and deviations.
Maintain complete and timely electronic lab notebook records consistent with data-integrity expectations.
Present results at team meetings and contribute figures and data to technical reports.
Troubleshoot routine assay and culture problems, escalate significant deviations, and collaborate to improve method robustness and transferability.
Support reagent preparation, inventory, equipment upkeep, sample tracking, and safety compliance.
Manage assigned work to agreed timelines.