Research Associate, Protein Purification & Quality Control

The role

This person will execute protein production and quality control workflows on the Medra Physical AI platform. They will perform automated cell growth, transfection, purification, and analytical QC to create robust, high-throughput workflows.

What you will do

• Run automated mammalian cell growth and transfection for recombinant protein expression
• Perform protein purification on AKTA (FPLC) and KingFisher platforms
• Execute analytical QC by SEC to assess purity, aggregation, and monomericity
• Prepare buffers, resins, columns, and consumables
• Carry out instrument cleaning, maintenance, and column packing/qualification
• Execute purification and QC according to established SOPs
• Partner with roboticists and software engineers to translate manual steps into autonomous protocols
• Perform first-pass data analysis and QC on chromatograms and SEC traces
• Maintain rigorous, well-organized experimental records in electronic lab notebooks

Required qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical/biological engineering, or a related discipline
• Hands-on laboratory experience (research, internship, or 0–2+ years of industry/academic lab work)
• Hands-on experience with protein purification — chromatography on AKTA/FPLC and/or bead-based purification
• Hands-on wet-lab experience and comfort at the bench
• Mammalian cell culture, aseptic technique, pipetting, and careful execution of detailed protocols
• Strong documentation habits, attention to detail, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks in parallel
• A basic understanding of antibody structure and function, or a strong desire to learn it

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with analytical SEC or other analytical chromatography (UPLC/HPLC)
• Experience with automated or high-throughput purification (e.g., KingFisher, multi-column AKTA, robotic purification)
• Experience with mammalian expression systems (CHO/HEK) and transient transfection at scale
• Experience with lab automation or liquid handling platforms (e.g., Dynamic Devices Lynx, Tempest)
• Familiarity with alternative binder formats — VHHs, bispecifics, Fc-fusions, or non-Ig scaffolds
• Basic scripting or data-handling skills (Python/R) for organizing and analyzing purification and QC data

Benefits

• Relocation benefits
• Significant equity ownership
• 401k
• Medical and dental insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• Weekday dinners

About the company

Medra uses AI, robotics, and biology to accelerate life science research to eradicate disease. They are building a Physical AI Scientist platform.