Tissue Culture Core Research Associate Returnship

Tissue Culture Core Research Associate Returnship

Salt Lake City, Utah

Recursion is a digital biology company industrializing drug discovery. We are working to solve some of the hardest, most meaningful problems facing human health today. Come join us in our mission to decode biology to radically improve lives, while doing the most impactful work of your life.

Our Returnship program is sponsored by the Women at Recursion Employee Resource Group. The program is aimed at helping those who have taken a hiatus (2+ years) from the STEM industry have the opportunity to return to the workforce in a learning environment with support from teams and mentors. This allows our company to tap into an underutilized pool of talent in Utah, and leverage the experience and skills of previous work and life experiences, while also providing opportunity to learn and develop experience in new cutting-edge tools and technology.

This sixteen-week program will enable you to have ownership of projects that can deeply impact the company’s mission to radically decode biology and serve patients, while having the guidance, support and mentorship has you re-enter the workforce. Each Returner will be assigned a mentor who will meet with them weekly, as well as weekly seminars on workplace culture, communication and technology.

Our returner program lasts 4 months, running from February 2026 through the end of May 2026
, with potential for transition into full-time employment depending on performance and availability. This position is mainly based in our Salt Lake City, UT headquarters, with some hybrid working flexibility available.

As the engine for Recursion's biological discovery, the Tissue Culture Core provides and maintains the high-quality cellular models that power our platform. Our diverse and collaborative team combines deep scientific expertise with industrial automation and cutting‑edge technology to manage the complete cell culture lifecycle—from sourcing and expansion to rigorous quality control. Our mission is to fuel the search for novel biology and help fulfill Recursion's ultimate goal: getting better drugs to patients, faster.

As a key member of the Tissue Culture Core, you will:

• Drive Large-Scale Cell Production: Manage the end‑to‑end lifecycle of diverse cellular models, from thaw to cryopreservation. You will execute large‑scale expansions using advanced technologies like bioreactors and multi‑layer vessels to ensure a consistent, high‑quality supply for the Recursion platform.
• Uphold Quality and Process Excellence: Focus on the quality and robustness of all cellular products. You will help characterize our models, optimize culture protocols, and meticulously document process data to track key metrics and drive continuous improvement in our methodologies.
• Enable a Data-Driven Platform: Be responsible for the critical delivery of both high-quality cellular materials and the precise, well‑documented data that accompanies them. Your work will directly fuel the high‑throughput operations of the Recursion OS and contribute to our core mission.

• Must have 3 years working experience in a research laboratory, preferably with mammalian cell culture
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or related major.
• Must have taken a 2+ year break from employment.
• A strong sense of curiosity and desire to learn with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Attentiveness to detail and the ability to accurately and honestly record experimental details, cell expansion details, and results.
• Enjoy working both collaboratively and independently with a team in a laboratory setting.
• Thrive in fast‑paced environments where you’ll leverage creativity and independent thinking.

While we offer cutting‑edge tools, the secret sauce is our people. Our organization structure and culture…