Associate Scientist I​/II, Technical Operations Automation

Company Overview:

Strand Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company utilizing synthetic biology to genetically program mRNA to deliver truly revolutionary immunotherapies to patients.

Building on the idea of creating smart therapies based on Boolean logic circuits, Strand was started by biological engineers working together at MIT who were seeking to apply the concept of the emerging field of mRNA therapeutics. Strand's technology is therapeutic-area and mRNA modality agnostic where therapeutic proteins are encoded onto modified, self-replicating, or circular mRNA backbones which in turn are programmed with cell-specific sensors and circuits.

Today, Strand has established multiple programmable mRNA platforms with one clinical stage asset and several programs in preclinical development as well as early discovery. Our lead program, STX-001, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial for solid tumors. Our corporate headquarters is located in the Fenway district of Boston, Massachusetts.

Become the next standout single strand!

Job Summary:

Strand is looking for people who have the enthusiasm and motivation to be a highly contributing member of a small but extremely productive team. This opportunity will offer the employee the ability to work in a matrix-based environment and be a part of the future strategy of the company.

We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative candidate for the role of Associate Scientist I/II, Technical Operations Automation. The expectation is that the Associate Scientist I/II will have experience with developing experiments and assays related to the LNP/mRNA manufacturing process, as well as experience working with automated lab instruments - especially liquid handler programming and method development. Reporting to Principal Associate Scientist of Technical Operations Automation, the right candidate will be an agile problem solver and strategic thinker that brings a leadership presence and enthusiasm for Strand, along with a desire to develop new skills surrounding lab automation overall.

The candidate will have, and continue to develop, broad interests in overall Technical Operations processes, maintaining close communications with related teams and seeking out opportunities to apply automated methods towards increasing throughput and reliability.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Close collaboration with scientific staff on various teams (primarily analytical operations/development teams, as well as process development) to develop, automate and implement automated methods.
• Continued monitoring of the usage of automated methods, including training individual operators on performing these methods, troubleshooting and addressing any weak points
• Maintaining and repair automated systems.
• Executing studies for process improvements and advancements.
• Support screening, optimization, and scale-up efforts across Tech Ops teams.
• Independently identify key areas within analytical and process development operations for optimization, implementing high-throughput automation tools to increase efficiency and consistency.
• Continuous optimization of existing automated methods, programming of operational tools that can be applied across methods.
• Continuous learning across lab instruments - seeking out new opportunities for expanding both lab skills as well as programming and development.
• Maintenance of a broad understanding of the lab automation industry as a whole, identifying novel methods and instruments to improve processes.

Qualifications:

• B.S. or Advanced Degree with 1-2+ years of directly related experience. Degree emphasis in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Molecular Medicine, Genetics or related field preferred.
• Understanding of base level coding logic and computer systems required.
• Experience with programming and automation preferred - especially pertaining to liquid handler instruments.
• This position requires conducting laboratory experiments, excellent documentation review and writing skills, and the flexibility to work on multiple projects as needed.
• Capacity to learn new material quickly.
• Understanding of nucleic acid chemistry,…