Research Associate: Media Development

Responsibilities

• Develop and test media formulations to support robust animal cell growth to high culture densities
• Analyze and quantify media components and metabolic by-products; adjust media recipes to optimize material input and by-product output
• Use statistical and DOE methods to screen ingredients and recipes for established and new cell lines
• Work with the product development team to create formulations that support large-scale high cell density cultures
• Collaborate with Wildtype’s cell biology teams to characterize relevant metabolic pathways for targeted efficiency improvements
• Design, execute and analyze experiments; concisely report results and implications to the team.

About You

• MS with 2+ years of relevant experience or PhD in related life science discipline (e.g. Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or Biophysics)
• A strong record of productivity with impactful scientific publications and a track record of effective collaboration in complex projects
• 3+ years of experience in animal cell cultures; excellent aseptic technique is a must 
• Expert with demonstrated knowledge of nutritional requirements for cell culture.  
• Experience using statistics and DOE in experimental methods
• Must have strong organizational skills; able to prioritize and manage time and resources with respect to project timelines.
• Growth mindset, curiosity, ability to learn quickly and communicate effectively.
• Preferred, but not required: prior demonstrated expertise in media development, in molecular biology; use of automation (e.g. liquid handling robot) in experimental set up; experience working with microbioreactors or bench scale bioreactors; analytical chemistry;

Impact plan

• Within 1 month you’ll have carried out your first experiment on your own, with the support of your scientific mentor. We’ll rely on you to prepare media and other experimental reagents without supervision. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will have mastered basic lab techniques within Wildtype’s unique context. You will be independently carrying out routine cell culture activities such as media changes, passaging, expansion, freeze/thaw without supervision. You will have contributed to the design of several experiments. 
• Within 6 months your cell culture skills will have developed to the point where you can independently train a new hire on Wildtype’s entire cell culture process. Your work will be organized effectively to achieve tasks on time at a high level of quality. You will have executed your first independently designed experiment with controls and presented your findings at a company-wide research meeting.
• Within 12 months you’ll be managing and carrying out multiple experiments simultaneously. You will be able to articulate how your work directly impacts the company’s milestones. You will routinely take the initiative to research topics independently and volunteer new ideas or approaches.