Contract: Senior Research Associate, Antibody Purification & Engineering

Position Overview

This lab-based role centers on molecular biology, antibody expression and purification, and yeast display. You will own and operationalize work with external partners (e.g., CROs) while helping to build these capabilities in-house. Success in this role requires excellent organization, clear communication, and enthusiasm for learning and applying new technologies in antibody engineering.

Responsibilities

• Design constructs and cloning plans (vector selection, signal peptides, Fc/format swaps, tags) for synthesis at CROs; review sequencing/QC and manage plasmid maps with version control (ELN/LIMS).
• Oversee transient mammalian expression systems (primarily Expi293 and ExpiCHO) and direct high‑throughput to mid‑scale protein purification strategies.
• Execute purifications using multiple resins (Protein A, Nickel, SEC) and formats (magnetic, gravity, FPLC); establish and manage QC testing (e.g., SDS‑PAGE/CE‑SDS, aSEC, endotoxin, BLI).
• Design and generate yeast display libraries; perform MACS- and FACS‑based selections and troubleshoot enrichment workflows.
• Support binder deconvolution (NGS/Sanger sequencing) and downstream hit screening (reformatting, BLI, flow cytometry).
• Analyze and summarize data; interpret results to inform technology development and project decisions.
• Collaborate across biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and translational medicine; organize data for effective cross‑team sharing.
• Maintain detailed, reproducible electronic lab notebooks; present findings to internal teams and contribute to project updates and strategy.
• Stay current on techniques for producing and characterizing protein therapeutics; contribute to team learning and best practices.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree plus 12 years of experience or Master's plus 8 years experience in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or related field with significant drug discovery experience.
• Biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry work experience is required.
• Strong foundation in molecular biology and cloning; mammalian expression and purification experience required; excellent sterile/TC technique.
• Significant expertise in Benchling; experience implementing and modifying workflows and databases.

Knowledge and Skills

• Expertise in Protein A purification and downstream polishing.
• Experience with protein characterization and QC, such as SDS‑PAGE/CE‑SDS, analytical SEC (aSEC) on HPLC, endotoxin testing, BLI/SPR, and flow cytometry.
• Proven cross‑functional communication; ability to manage multiple project timelines and goals.
• Exposure to IND‑enabling documentation is a plus.
• Yeast display experience strongly preferred: library generation, MACS/FACS sorting, hit identification, and downstream screening.
• Hands-on experience with Expi293 and/or ExpiCHO transient expression systems.
• Familiarity with BLI/SPR platforms (e.g., Octet, Gator, Carterra) and flow cytometry instruments (e.g., Cytoflex, Symphony, iQue or similar).
• Strong data organization, version control, and traceability using ELN/LIMS; commitment to reproducibility and data integrity.