Senior Research Associate

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 www.astellas.com.

Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc and focused on the development and commercialization of stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies. Astellas 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 has a world-class R&D team, and is pursuing a diverse range of disease indications, ranging from macular degeneration (currently in clinical trials) and other ocular indications to vascular and autoimmune disease. AIRM's intellectual property 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 their Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) site in Westborough, MA.

Purpose:

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

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Work closely with other Process Readiness team members, as well as interact with personnel within other Technical Operations groups and upstream Biology teams.
• With direction of supervisor, assist in experimental design and method development.
• Independently run experimental studies, document results, and analyse data.
• Apply critical thinking skills to troubleshoot and solve technical problems with the supervisor.
• Maintain, passage, freeze, and characterize cell lines using techniques including imaging, metabolic profiling, qPCR and flow cytometry.
• Independently prepare drafts of study protocols and technical reports, detailing procedures, outcomes, and observations.
• Offer insightful review of documentation, potentially including those from other groups within Astellas and/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.
• Ability to adjust schedule when necessary to meet job responsibilities, work longer weekdays or on weekends.

Qualifications
Required:

• 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 towards products for regenerative medicine
• Theoretical and hands-on knowledge and experience with methods used for molecular characterization of mammalian cells, particularly cell culture techniques, imaging, metabolic profiling and gene expression analysis.
• Working experience in the development of SOPs or batch records.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and effectively 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 technical information clearly to diverse audiences.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Exceptional oral and written skills

Preferred:

• Previous experience in process development of cell-based products and automation solutions, and familiarity with cGMP.
• Experience with the use of bioreactors or closed systems for mammalian cell culture, with preference for the culture of pluripotent cells or their derivatives.
• Experience with ocular cell cultures, biochemistry, eye organogenesis, and/or physiology of vision.
• Experience with basic molecular biology techniques (e.g., qPCR, immunofluorescence).
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office software (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Working Conditions

• This position is based in Westborough, MA and will require on-site work

Salary Range: $79,800- $125,400 (Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to skills, experience, and organizational equity considerations).

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down
• 401(k) match and annual company contribution
• Company paid life insurance
• Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions
• Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions
• Company-paid fleet vehicle for eligible positions
• Referral bonus program

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