Research Associate, CNS Stem Cell Culture

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Job description

About the role

The Research Associate, CNS Stem Cell Culture is responsible for developing as well as executing novel protocols for neural and glial differentiation in Sana's Cambridge CNS labs. This individual will execute the cell culture operations of Sana's CNS Therapy lab, with direct oversight of at least one of its experimental programs. This position includes technically diverse bench work as well as the training of research staff in techniques and equipment use, across the CNS in vitro program.

The Research Associate, CNS Stem Cell Culture will report on a direct basis to the Scientist, CNS Cell Therapy, and work under the broader direction of the Director, CNS Cell Biology and the Head of CNS Therapy.

What you'll do

• Assuring the quality and integrity of all data collection and documentation
• Expansion and cryopreservation of pluripotent stem cells
• Generation of neural and glial lineages from pluripotent stem cells
• Performance and supervision of flow cytometry and cell sorting
• Performance and supervision of routine imaging and image documentation of cells
• RNA and DNA isolation and preparation for genomic analyses.
• Daily management of the cell culture lab as needed
• Personnel direction and training
• Assuring compliance with all relevant lab safety and biosafety regulations

What we're looking for

• BA/MA or MS in neuroscience, cell biology, or biotechnology
• Extensive hands-on expertise in pluripotent stem cell biology and stem cell culture techniques
• 2-3+ years of post-graduate academic or industry experience in neural and glial cell biology
• Significant expertise in and understanding of stem cell biology
• Significant experience with immunochemistry, digital image analysis, and confocal microscopy
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and independent problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with standard cytometry and imaging software (e.g., FACSDiva, FlowJo, ImageJ, etc.)
• Must be an effective communicator both verbally and in writing

What will separate you from the crowd

• Experience in deriving both neuronal and glial cells from pluripotent stem cells
• Experience in making clonal lines of pluripotent stems cells
• Experience in genome editing techniques (ie CRISPR)
• Neuroscience background

What you should know

• Scheduled weekend and holiday coverage required for culture maintenance and analysis, in rotation with supervised technical staff, to ensure successful project performance with sampling at defined time points
• Working safely on a predictable and regular basis is an essential job function for this position and the Company requires that all individuals, subject to certain exceptions, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

How we work together

• Lead from every seat - we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team - we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen - we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off, parental leave, short- and long-term disability, financial wellness programs, a 401(k) Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.