Senior Liver Tissue Engineer

Overview

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross‑fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

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The Bioengineering Division is seeking a Senior Liver Tissue Engineer to support the research and development of cutting‑edge technologies. At Draper Bioengineering, we work at the interface between engineering and biology, and the successful applicant will join teams working on Micro‑physiological systems (organ‑on‑chip) and other novel systems which blend complex biology with custom hardware and software. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, observant, collaborative, and dedicated, and will serve as a subject matter expert, applying their foundational immunology knowledge and experience to exciting, interdisciplinary efforts.

• Drive solutions to complex problems with limited direction.
• Contribute to the development of innovative bioengineering solutions, propose ways forward, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Able to provide insight and suggest design modifications based on analysis outcomes.
• Actively mentor less experienced bioengineers and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Develop, optimize, and characterize liver‑specific micro‑physiological (MPS) and organ‑on‑chip models for toxicity, metabolism, and disease‑state studies.
• Apply cell biology, developmental biology, and tissue engineering fundamentals to establish cell and tissue‑based assays within Draper’s in vitro tissue culture systems under a variety of use‑case scenarios.
• Plan, conduct, and lead technical experiments with Draper’s advanced in vitro tissue culture technologies (micro‑physiological system or organs‑on‑chip) in a BSL‑2 laboratory.
• Culture, maintain, and manipulate human primary cells and tissues – including primary liver‑cell isolates, iPSC‑derived hepatocytes, and non‑parenchymal liver cells (Kupffer, stellate, sinusoidal endothelial cells) – in both standard in vitro formats and within Draper’s MPS platforms.
• Perform a broad suite of molecular, biochemical, and cellular assays (immunostaining, ELISA, Luminex, flow cytometry, DNA and RNA extraction, qPCR, multi‑omics) and biostatical data analysis.
• Acquire brightfield, fluorescent and high‑content confocal microscopy data; process and analyze image sets within automated pipelines to extract quantitative biological insights.
• Create, version control, and maintain SOPs and analytical methods that are fully compatible within Draper’s platform technologies.
• Collect, interpret, and summarize data; deliver clear and concise presentations to project leads, internal management, external sponsors/customers, and for peer‑reviewed publication.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to execute project plans; mentor and train bench‑level colleagues and foster a collaborative, safety‑first lab culture.
• Troubleshoot experimental challenges in partnership with teammates and project leadership; drive rapid, data‑backed decisions to keep projects on schedule.
• Complete all required training, adhere to institutional, governmental, and safety regulations, and champion an environment of compliance.
• Contribute to business‑development activities – technical ideation, proposal writing, and customer outreach – to expand Draper’s tissue engineering portfolio.
• Support day‑to‑day lab organization (reagent sourcing, material preparation, equipment upkeep) to keep the MPS workflow running smoothly.
• Work in face‑paced, milestone‑driven interdisciplinary environment where multi‑tasking is essential.

• Strong foundation in biology and/or engineering principles.
• Team player, dedicated, collaborative, observant, and…