Senior Research Associate, Beta Islet - Sana Biotechnology

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. You will join the Beta Islet Team at the Cambridge location to support Type 1 Diabetes cell therapy research activities through the execution of directed pluripotent stem cell differentiation towards pancreatic islet lineages. This position is specifically dedicated to the differentiation of stem cell (SC)-islets, including all aspects of cell culture duties and downstream characterization assays, such as flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry.  Candidates should have sufficient personal expertise to teach as well as troubleshoot these techniques. In addition, the candidate is expected to ensure the quality of data collection, both personally and on the part of allied laboratory staff. This position reports to the Senior Team Lead of Differentiation within Stem Cell Sciences.

What you’ll do 

• Expands, maintains, and directs differentiation of pluripotent stem cells towards SC-islets
• Cryopreserves pluripotent stem cells, SC-islets and intermediates
• Executes in vitro molecular and cellular characterization assays (Flow cytometry, Immunocytochemistry, DNA/RNA isolation…etc)
• Maintains excellent scientific documentations and contributes to SOP developments
• Assuring compliance with all relevant lab safety and biosafety regulations
• Demonstrate Sana’s core values and the attributes that support these core values (Lead from every seat, Thrive as a team, Make it happen)

What we’re looking for

• BA/MA or MS in cell biology, stem cell biology, biotechnology, or a related field
• Expertise in pluripotent stem cell cultures and directed differentiation techniques
• Significant experiences in Flow cytometry, Immunocytochemistry, Microscopy, DNA/RNA isolation techniques
• 2-3+ years of post-graduate academic or industry experience in pluripotent stem cell differentiations
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and independent problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with standard flow cytometry and imaging software (e.g., FACSDiva, FlowJo, ImageJ, Halo etc.)

What will separate you from the crowd

• Strong background in stem cell biology and/or pancreatic islet development
• Significant experiences in suspension differentiation of pluripotent stem cells

What you should know

• Occasional weekend cell culture duties are expected
• The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $90,000 and $105,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

How we work together for patients

• Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution 

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.  For more details on our benefits, visit Sana’s Benefits Portal.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.