Research Associate, NGS Assay Development, Virtual Immune System

The Team

Our decoding inflammation team builds tools to enable precise molecular-level measurements of inflammation within human tissues in real time, and develop proactive, early interventions that can be deployed when inflammation — which underlies the most significant causes of death worldwide — first flares in the body. You can learn more about our work here.

Our team collaborates with three powerhouse universities - Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - to develop first-in-class technologies and make breakthroughs.

Our Vision

• Pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• Enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• Facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

We are a team of passionate individuals powered by technology, guided by scientific research, and driven by collaboration, working toward a mission to cure or prevent all disease.

The Opportunity

Biohub is seeking a Research Associate to join the Cell Decoder team within the Virtual Immune System initiative. This is a hands-on bench role centered on molecular biology, cell engineering, and genomics workflows, including bacterial and mammalian cell culture, plasmid cloning, lentiviral production, library preparation, and flow cytometry. You'll execute and optimize experiments that feed directly into a screening platform designed to map immune antigens in inflammation.

This position is ideal for someone who thrives on bench work, takes pride in reliable execution, and actively looks for ways to make things run better. That could mean optimizing a viral production protocol, reorganizing a reagent inventory system, or finding a more efficient way to coordinate a multi-day, multi-step experiment. You won't just follow protocols; you'll help build and refine them. You'll join a small, experienced team with direct mentorship and exposure to how AI/ML and computational approaches are shaping experimental immunology.

What You'll Do

• Perform molecular biology workflows including bacterial culture, plasmid cloning, mini/midi preps, and construct verification to generate reagents for cell engineering experiments.
• Maintain mammalian cell lines (Jurkat, 293T, K562) including passaging, selection, and banking — serving as a reliable backbone for ongoing assay development.
• Produce and package lentiviral vectors, troubleshoot viral production workflows, and execute transduction experiments.
• Execute single-cell genomics and sequencing workflows, including 10x Genomics library preparation and next-generation sequencing library QC.
• Perform flow cytometry experiments for immune cell phenotyping and functional assays.
• Design, optimize, and troubleshoot experimental protocols and SOPs, proactively identifying bottlenecks and opportunities to improve throughput, reliability, or efficiency.
• Maintain rigorous documentation of protocols, experimental conditions, results, and reagent inventory and take ownership of lab operations logistics including ordering and cataloging.

What You'll Bring

• Master's degree in biology, immunology, molecular biology, or a related field with 2-4 years of hands-on research experience, or a Bachelor's with equivalent additional experience.
• Proficiency in core molecular biology and cell engineering workflows, including bacterial culture, plasmid cloning, mammalian cell line maintenance, and lentiviral production, with the ability to troubleshoot
• Experience with flow cytometry, including sample preparation and instrument operation.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail across multi-step, multi-day experimental workflows — including documentation, reagent management, and coordination.
• A proactive, ownership-oriented approach — you identify bottlenecks, propose solutions, and communicate clearly in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.
• Nice to have:
  • Experience with next-generation sequencing library preparation or single-cell genomics platforms (particularly 10x Genomics).
  • Familiarity with T cell biology, TCR biology, or high-throughput screening assays.
  • Basic programming skills (Python and/or R) for data processing and QC.

Compensation

The Chicago, IL base pay range for a new hire in this role is $70,000 - $79,000. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process.

This position may be eligible to participate in our discretionary annual performance bonus program. Bonus eligibility and targets are determined in accordance with our total rewards philosophy and may vary by role.

Better Together

As we grow, we're excited to strengthen in-person connections and cultivate a collaborative, team-oriented environment. This role is a onsite position requiring you to be onsite for at least 100% of the working month, approximately 5 days a week.

Benefits for the Whole You

We're thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible.

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Funding for select family-forming benefits.
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you're interested in a role but your previous experience doesn't perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

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