Research Associate

About the Role

Beantown Biotech is a contract research organization (CRO) located in Billerica, Massachusetts. The company focuses on preclinical in vitro drug discovery and works with a range of biotechnology partners on plate-based assay development, compound screening workflows, mechanism-of-action studies, and analysis of biophysical and biochemical interactions.

This position is for an assay specialist who is motivated, hands-on, and ready to contribute to the design, refinement, and execution of plate-based assays across multiple therapeutic areas. You will work closely with a team and have a direct role in shaping assays as well as sharing findings and conclusions with scientific collaborators.

Responsibilities

• Create and improve cellular and molecular plate-based assays aligned to project needs.
• Review results independently and communicate updates and conclusions to external scientific partners in real time.
• Apply structured troubleshooting and analytical thinking to help projects stay on schedule.
• Use lab automation to improve workflow efficiency and boost throughput.
• Draft SOPs and keep detailed, accurate laboratory notebooks and experiment records.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 1–3 years of quality lab experience in cell biology, molecular biology, pharmacology, or a related area, or a master’s degree with 1+ year of relevant lab experience.
• Strong ability to culture both adherent and suspension mammalian cells.
• Practical experience with cellular and molecular methods such as Western blotting, qPCR, transfection, transduction, and related biochemical/biophysical techniques.
• Hands-on experience with plate-based assay formats including luciferase, AlphaLisa, HTRF, MSD, and ELISA.
• Comfortable organizing and graphing data in Excel, Prism, or similar analysis tools.
• Clear communicator who works well independently, collaborates effectively with teams, and can manage multiple tasks at once.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Skills

• Experience using instruments such as MSD, Monolith, Protein Simple Jess, or QuantStudio.
• Comfort working with multi-mode plate readers for high-throughput work in 96-well or 384-well formats.
• Exposure to flow cytometry and/or high-content imaging.

Additional Information

This role is based onsite in Billerica, MA. The position is full time. No salary or stipend details were provided in the source.

Who Can Apply

Candidates with the required degree, relevant lab experience, and legal authorization to work in the U.S. may apply.