Technical Associate I

MIT • Cambridge, MA

22d

About The Position

TECHNICAL ASSOCIATE I, Mechanical Engineering , will sustain day-to-day sterile culture and experimental workflows for human epithelial/stromal organoids. The position provides the dedicated hands-on capacity required to maintain quality control, documentation, and compliance for human-derived sample handling, while enabling consistent sample preparation for downstream profiling and ongoing collaborations. Responsibilities will include: Research Techniques and Protocols (70%) to establish and maintain human epithelial and stromal organoids under sterile, no-antibiotic conditions, assist in stem cell–epithelial co-culture experiments for modeling cell–cell and matrix–cell interactions, conduct growth factor, drug treatment, and CRISPR-based perturbation experiments, prepare and handle growth media, growth factors, and supplements as needed for the experimental protocol, and prepare samples for downstream molecular assays (RNA-seq, proteomics, or spatial-omics); Research and Document Production (10%): to present updates at lab meetings and contribute to manuscripts and proposals; and Data/Analysis (20%): to measure adhesive properties, zeta potential, pH, and cell response to external stresses; collaborate with the engineering team to link these measurements with device-based assays; and record, organize, and manage experiment metadata and results for computational analysis pipelines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, or related field
• A minimum of two years of specialized experience with qualitative data analysis, research methods, social sciences (which may include experience gained as an undergraduate)
• Proven skills in organoid or 3D culture and strong aseptic technique
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational and record-keeping skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience with co-culture systems, CRISPR/Cas9, or drug/growth factor assays
• Familiarity with fluorescent imaging and quantitative cellular assays (e.g., adhesion, viability, or zeta potential)
• Comfort working in an interdisciplinary environment that integrates biology, engineering, and computation

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain human epithelial and stromal organoids under sterile, no-antibiotic conditions
• Assist in stem cell–epithelial co-culture experiments for modeling cell–cell and matrix–cell interactions
• Conduct growth factor, drug treatment, and CRISPR-based perturbation experiments
• Prepare and handle growth media, growth factors, and supplements as needed for the experimental protocol
• Prepare samples for downstream molecular assays (RNA-seq, proteomics, or spatial-omics)
• Present updates at lab meetings and contribute to manuscripts and proposals
• Measure adhesive properties, zeta potential, pH, and cell response to external stresses
• Collaborate with the engineering team to link these measurements with device-based assays
• Record, organize, and manage experiment metadata and results for computational analysis pipelines

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees