Associate Scientist/Scientist I

Neurona Therapeutics is an early-stage biotechnology company based in South San Francisco focused on the development of neuronal cell-based therapies for neurological disease. Our ideal candidate is a self-motivated individual who has a passion for scientific research. This is a fantastic opportunity for a junior scientist to join a small team, work on transformative science, and take part in building an exciting, science-driven company and develop groundbreaking cell therapy products.

Responsibilities:

• Work in close collaboration with Discovery Associate Director, to lead the development of hPSC differentiation method into a specific neuronal population, for the development of a next generation of cell therapy product.
• Maintain human pluripotent stem cells and differentiate into a variety of neuronal lineages from 384 well plates to regular and large-scale culture vessels.
• Explore multiple derivation methods applying combinatorial screening to identify key signaling pathways involved in subtype specification.
• Identify lead methods and conduct validation and scale up experiments, collaborating with Process and Preclinical departments, in order to support disease modifying activity studies.
• Develop cell-based assays using automated liquid handler for stem cell differentiation optimization and validation.
• Utilize 2D and 3D High Content Screening (HCS) technology for high-throughput analysis of cell populations.
• Characterize differentiated cells (immuno cyto-chemistry, Flow cytometry, RT-QPCR, RNA sequencing).
• Conduct fluorescence or magnetic -activated cell sorting experiments.
• Prepare tissue culture reagents (media, small molecules, cytokines); Tissue culture room upkeep and restocking.
• Maintain detailed records, perform data analysis, reporting and presentation (group, team and company meetings)

Required Qualifications:

• PhD. (+1 year of relevant experience) or Master degree (+ 5 to 7 years of relevant experience), in cell and molecular biology, focusing on pluripotent stem cells differentiation
• Proven scientific achievements by high publication records
• Proficient with pluripotent stem cell culture, in vitro differentiation and molecular/functional characterization.
• Excellent writing, verbal communication, and interpersonal skills, proficiency with Microsoft office.
• Able to take initiative to improve work processes, develop innovative scientific methodologies and approaches to enhance research productivity.
• High integrity, great organization and ability to multitask while working within fast-paced timelines
• Critical thinking, strong team player and problem-solvers
• Willing to work a limited number of hours during weekends.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with automated liquid handlers to perform medium / high throughput cell-based screenings.
• Experience with coding (R, Python, ...) would be a plus.
• Knowledge in neuroscience and human developmental biology
• One year of experience with lab automation for cell-based screening assays (protocol creation, hands on automates)
• Experience with transcript- and protein-based gene expression analyses, high content screening.

For immediate consideration, please email your resume to: jobs@neuronatx.com. Interested in learning more about our science and our team? Please visit our website at www.neuronatherapeutics.com.

Neurona is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment.