Senior Research Associate, Discovery, Targeted Therapy

Senior Research Associate, Discovery, Targeted Therapy

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com .

The Role:

To enhance our ability to serve cancer patients, deeper understanding of cancer biology in the context of diseases such as GI/GU cancers is crucial. We are seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Scientist to join our Oncology Discovery team, focusing on uncovering novel biological mechanisms and therapeutic targets in cancer and immuno-oncology. This individual will play a critical role in designing and executing laboratory experiments aimed at advancing early discovery programs that address unmet needs across diverse tumour types. The Senior Research Associate, Discovery, Targeted Therapy, will report to the Head, Discovery, Targeted Therapy.

Responsibilities:

• In this role, you will contribute to our early-stage pipeline by:

• Design, plan, and conduct biochemical, cell-based assays and molecular biology experiments to support oncology and/or immuno-oncology drug discovery programs.

• Perform cell culture, flow cytometry, western blotting, qPCR, ELISA, and imaging-based assays to characterize drug effects on tumor and immune cells.

• Analyze, interpret, and document experimental data; contribute to data summaries and presentations.

• Collaborate closely with scientists across functional teams to ensure smooth project execution and experimental alignment.

• Effectively draw conclusions from the results and define next steps. Present the program updates to diverse set of audience.

• Maintain accurate and organized lab notebooks and experimental records in compliance with data integrity and reproducibility standards.

• Work in a fast-paced environment and meet the goals in the targeted time frame.

• Keep abreast of emerging developments in the fields of oncology and immune oncology that would advance the existing programs and identification of new discovery programs.

Required Qualifications:

• BS with 4+ years of relevant laboratory experience or MS with 2+ years of relevant laboratory experience.

• Strong technical expertise in cell-based assays, mammalian cell culture, and molecular biology techniques.

• Familiarity with cancer biology, tumor immunology, or related therapeutic areas.

• Proficiency in data analysis using standard scientific software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, FlowJo).

• Excellent organizational, communication, and team collaboration skills.

• A passion for scientific discovery and a commitment to improving outcomes for cancer patients.

• Self-motivation with a proactive mindset.

• Strong interpersonal influence and active listening skills, flexible team player with the highest ethical and business standards.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in drug discovery setting.

Work Conditions

• This position is based in Cambridge US and will require to be on-site 5 days/week.

• Participation in meetings scheduled for early mornings and late nights is regularly required

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

• Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation, Sick time, plus national holidays including Heritage Days, and Summer and Winter Breaks

• 401(k) match and annual company contribution

• Company paid life insurance

• Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions

• Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions

• Referral bonus program

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.

#LI-TR1

Category Cancer Biology

Astellas is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.

EOE including Disability/Protected Veterans