Senior Research Associate

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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
Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc. and focuses on the development and commercialization of stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies. AIR is an R&D‑driven global pharmaceutical company whose philosophy is to contribute to the improvement of people's health around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products.
AIRM’s IP portfolio includes pluripotent stem cell platforms – both embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells – as well as other cell‑based therapy research programs. AIRM is headquartered in Massachusetts.
Astellas is announcing a Senior Research Associate opportunity at its Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) site in Westborough, MA.

The Senior Research Associate will be responsible for growing technical knowledge and continued understanding of administrative operations with the ability to troubleshoot and solve technical problems. This person will independently contribute to scientific experiments and take on more responsibility to provide content for various documents and reports. This person will be able to execute protocols and summarize results independently.

• Work closely with Process Readiness team members and interact with personnel within other Technical Operations groups and upstream Biology teams.
• Assist in experimental design and method development under supervisor direction.
• Independently run experimental studies, document results, and analyze data.
• Apply critical thinking skills to troubleshoot and solve technical problems with the supervisor.
• Maintain, passage, freeze, and characterize cell lines using imaging, metabolic profiling, qPCR and flow cytometry.
• Prepare drafts of study protocols and technical reports, detailing procedures, outcomes, and observations.
• Provide insightful reviews of documentation, potentially including those from other groups within Astellas or outside labs.
• Contribute to batch record development.
• Follow SOPs and batch records with high attention to detail.
• Maintain accurate record keeping in laboratory notebooks and appropriate databases in a timely manner.
• Perform literature searches and analysis as needed for process and assay development.
• Maintain inventory of reagents and disposables and order supplies as needed.
• Adjust schedule when necessary to meet job responsibilities, including working longer weekdays or on weekends.

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years lab experience or master’s degree with 2+ years lab experience.
• Proficient in aseptic technique and mammalian‑cell culture.
• Working experience with stem cells (embryonic stem cells, iPS cells or mesenchymal stem cells) and their differentiation into products for regenerative medicine.
• Knowledge and experience with methods for molecular characterization of mammalian cells, especially cell culture techniques, imaging, metabolic profiling, and gene expression analysis.
• Experience in developing SOPs or batch records.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and manage multiple projects.
• Ability to work productively in a collaborative and cross‑functional team environment with internal and external partners across multiple scientific disciplines.
• Excellent organizational, written, and oral communication skills to convey…