Research Associate, Process Development

Our Opportunity…

We’re looking for a highly motivated, flexible, and collaborative Research Associate with experience in, and a passion for—cell culture and process development. Based at our Bedford, MA location, you’ll contribute to developing and characterizing manufacturing processes for cell therapy products targeting cancer. You’ll be a vital part of a highly collaborative Technical Operations team, working to achieve Obsidian’s vision by translating innovative science into medical breakthroughs for patients, starting with our lead program, OBX-115—a novel engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.

This is a unique opportunity to expand the reach of TIL therapy and deliver transformative outcomes for patients suffering from solid tumor malignancies. As a contributor in a well-funded clinical company with blue-chip investors, field-leading advisors, best-in-class partners, and an experienced team, you’ll help us build a dynamic, innovative, passionate, and successful organization focused on delivering transformative therapies in areas of greatest clinical need.

You Will…

• Execute carefully planned process development and characterization experiments with engineered T-cells to define, optimize, and understand the processes for clinical manufacturing. 
• Support lab functions - including shared roles in maintaining reagent supplies, restocking consumables, equipment maintenance, and lab organization. 
• Perform in-process assays to measure cell number and characterize drug product using flow cytometry and other techniques. 
• Maintain cell cultures and cell banks as needed to support experimental work. 
• Present study results internally to project teams, management, and scientific teams. 
• Develop independent judgement to solve problems within standard scope of work. 
• Contribute to completion of technical tasks to meet individual and team goals, working under minimal supervision for routine tasks, and direct supervision for more complex tasks. 
• Maintain excellent records of experiments in electronic lab notebooks in a timely manner. 
• Collaborate effectively across Obsidian verticals. 
• Master techniques and protocols to effectively, efficiently, and independently execute routine technical tasks. 
• Develop an understanding of the experimental objectives and underlying science to effectively troubleshoot technical issues and report results. 
• Maintain a safe work environment in accordance with policies, procedures, and regulations. 

 You Bring…

Core Qualifications

• BS or MS degree in chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, biology or relevant field, with 0-2 years of experience in biotech/pharma setting. 
• Experience with cell culture techniques, preferably T-cell (or other immune cells). 
• Excellent communication skills. 
• Scientific rigor and attention-to-detail in the execution, analysis, and troubleshooting of experiments. 
• Strong record-keeping and organizational skills, including an ability to manage multiple responsibilities in parallel.  
• Scientific curiosity and a track record of self-directed learning. 

 Bonus Qualifications

• Basic knowledge of immunology and experience working with immune system cells.  
• Experience with culture of mammalian cells in small -scale and large-scale bioreactor systems (e.g. G-Rex, Xuri) and associated control strategies and automation. 
• Experience with design of experiment (DOE) approaches and statistical analysis of data; familiarity with JMP is desirable.  
• Experience with cell therapy process development in industry. 
• Experience with analytical methods for cell characterization such as flow cytometry, quantitative PCR.