Senior Research Associate, Molecular Biology

Company Summary:

FL87 is a privately held, early-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to gene therapy that can address currently untreatable diseases.

FL87 was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an innovation enterprise that conceives, creates, resources, and grows first-in-category life sciences companies.

Flagship Pioneering has created over 100 groundbreaking companies over the past twenty years, all of which are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. These companies include Moderna (MRNA), Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MCRB), Generate Biomedicines, Tessera Tx, Evelo Biosciences (EVLO), and Indigo Agriculture.

The role

We are seeking an outstanding Senior Research Associate, to join us in building the next generation of Programmable Medicines. We're looking for a versatile molecular virologist / biochemist with experience in production and characterization of nucleic acids and in molecular cloning. We're looking for an individual who brings scientific rigor, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, and a desire to innovate new nucleic acid therapeutics. This individual will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, working as part of a highly collaborative and growing team.

Key responsibilities

• Plasmid Production: Design, execute, and troubleshoot molecular cloning of inserts with varying lengths and compositions, ensuring accurate plasmid sequences.
• Inventory Management: Maintain organized storage of produced materials and keep detailed electronic records of material characteristics and storage locations.
• Enzymatic Reaction Optimization: Optimize and troubleshoot enzymatic reactions to enhance nucleic acid production and purity.
• Nucleic Acid Production: Follow and refine protocols to produce high-quality DNA and RNA with diverse expression cassettes.

Who you are

• Technical expert:
• You have 5+ years of industry experience, in immunology or biochemistry, and you're experienced in nucleic acid and protein innovation, production, purification, and assay development. Or you have a master's degree and 3+ years of experience in industry and want to be part of a dynamic team.
• Strong experience in independently designing and performing required experiments, as well as interpreting data and sharing results with the team.
• Strong, hands-on experience in cloning through multiple methods (e.g., Gibson, Golden Gate, etc.)
• Solid understanding of enzymatic reactions in nucleic acid synthesis and subsequent modifications.
• Deep understanding of enzymatic reactions involved in nucleic acid synthesis.
• Experience with protein production, QC and analysis (SDS PAGE, CE, and HPLC)
• Small scale purification or buffer exchange of proteins (dialysis, TFF, Akta)
• You understand complex scientific concepts and can communicate technical information clearly, concisely, and decisively. Highly organized with strong attention to detail, you excel at systematically arranging and managing information and materials and can create and maintain electronic databases of materials produced, ensuring accessibility to other scientists.
• You flourish in collaborative work environments with other highly skilled individuals. You readily support your colleagues' challenges and celebrate their victories.

Location: Cambridge, MA

Values and Behaviors:

Flagship is an experiment in institutional, entrepreneurial, and innovation practiced in the context of a small company with an insurgent mindset. We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort in working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, we encourage you to apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidates.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, "FSP") do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering's internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.