Senior Research Associate

Senior Research Associate - Cell Culture Team (Integrated Research)

100% onsite

6- 12mth initial contract (likely extension and/or FTE opportunity)

Partnering up with a key client for an SRA to join the Cell Culture Team, supporting early discovery programs. This is a hands-on laboratory role focused on generating high-quality cellular materials to enable critical go/no-go decisions.

What you will do:

• Perform routine mammalian cell culture, including expansion, maintenance, cryopreservation, and thawing of multiple cell lines.
• Maintain accurate cell line inventory and experimental documentation using Benchling.
• Respond to urgent, time-sensitive requests from discovery teams to support key program milestones.
• Develop protocols and document experimental workflows and observations with high rigor.
• Partner closely with cross-functional teams to assess cell line needs and deliver materials on defined timelines.
• Contribute to a culture of transparent, proactive communication across teams.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, robustness, and scalability of cell culture workflows.

Required Skills, Experience and Education:

• B.S./M.S. degree in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Cancer Biology, or related life science field with 3+ years of hands-on mammalian cell culture experience; biopharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in aseptic technique and mammalian cell culture, including:
  Concurrent handling of multiple cell lines, Media preparation with complex supplements, DMSO dilution calculations and cryopreservation best practices.
• Strong experience optimizing and troubleshooting mammalian cell culture systems.
• Familiarity with cell culture quality control practices (e.g., mycoplasma testing, cell line authentication).
• Proficiency with electronic lab notebooks (e.g., Benchling) for experiment documentation, inventory management, and workflow execution.
• Familiarity with standard laboratory equipment (microscopes, pipettes, centrifuges, cell counters).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working with cancer cell lines, primary cells, or genetically engineered cell lines.
• Experience with viral and non-viral transduction or transfection methods (e.g., lentivirus, retrovirus, lipid-based systems).
• Hands-on experience with 2D and 3D cell culture systems, including spheroids and/or organoid models.
• Exposure to cell-based assay development and downstream applications (e.g., viability, proliferation, reporter assays).
• Experience supporting early discovery or translational research programs.
• Experience in regulated or semi-regulated laboratory environments with strong documentation standards.
• Exposure to automation, high-throughput cell culture, or scale-up workflows.