Research Associate II

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join our growing translational laboratory team. This individual will be instrumental in developing, optimizing, and executing ex-vivo assays to support our oncology clinical pipeline. A primary responsibility will be to understand drug mechanisms of action in primary tumor samples and to validate AI-identified biomarkers to support patient stratification. This position requires strong technical skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a passion for data-driven discovery.

What You’ll Do

• Design and executing medium-to-high-throughput drug screen assays for testing tumor kill and pharmacodynamic effects using Incucyte.
• Characterization of assay samples for proteomics, RNA, DNA and epigenetic changes that explain molecular mechanisms of resistance and tolerability.
• Collaboration with a world-class computational team to interpret multi-omic data to improve AI predictions and drive biomarker strategy for clinical trials.
• Building and maintaining a biobank of primary tumor tissues and cell lines for translational experiments.
• Perform routine and advanced cellular and molecular biology techniques, including primary tumor sample processing, cell culture, transfection, nucleic acid extraction, PCR/qPCR, Western blotting, and immunostaining.
• Inventory management, vendor coordination, equipment maintenance scheduling, and compliance with safety protocols.
• Sample tracking, experiment recording and data management using LIMS system (Benchling).
• Contribution of biological insights to the preparation of reports, presentations, and publications for clinical trials and FDA documents.

Who You Are

• B.S. or M.S. in Biology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of hands-on experience in an oncology research or industry laboratory setting.
• Strong expertise in cell culture techniques, including the maintenance of human cancer cell lines, dissociation and expansion of primary solid tumor tissues from surgical resection. Experience with 3D culture systems such as Matrigel is preferred.
• Competency in setting up drug functional assays for small molecules and antibody therapeutics required.
• Familiarity with flow cytometry and/or immunohistochemistry in FFPE is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in genomic assays (e.g. RNAseq, DNAseq and ChIP) and CRISPR technology is also preferred.

Location

This position is fully on-site in our Manhattan laboratory and offers opportunities for professional growth in a collaborative research environment.