Senior Research Associate, PSC Process Development

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines and want to apply cutting-edge technologies and science to develop impactful cell therapies. We are looking for a dedicated Senior Research Associate (SRA) to join our PSC Process Development (PD) team. You will report to the Director, PSC Process Development, and will play an important part in developing Sana's Pluripotent Stem Cell (PSC) -based therapies. You will contribute to scaling, optimization and automation of PSC expansion and differentiation, and the technology transfer of these processes to clinical manufacturing.

• Contribute to the development, optimization, characterization, and execution of PSC expansion and differentiation processes
• Work collaboratively to scale PSC processes in bioreactors
• Maintain a functioning PSC PD lab
• Write and revise laboratory procedures, SOPs, Batch Records
• Maintain a detailed electronic lab notebook and communicate data and plans at team meetings.
• Support tech transfer of PSC processes to internal and external manufacturing organizations
• Provide onsite support at the internal GMP facility and/or CDMO

• Bachelor’s degree +4 years or Master's degree +2 years or equivalent combination of education and laboratory work experience
• Basic knowledge of Developmental Biology, specifically understanding of the principles of pluripotent stem cell biology
• Cell therapy and/or gene process development experience (industry experience preferred)
• Tech transfer experience
• Aseptic technique; Mammalian cell culture experience
• Experience with cell characterization assays such as flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry and PCR
• Demonstrate scientific rigor and seek input in a complex, team-oriented organization
• Work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds
• Work with colleagues of diverse background

• Pluripotent stem cell culture and/or differentiation experience
• Bioreactor system experience
• cGMP or Clean Room manufacturing experience

• Approximately 80% of your time will be in the laboratory
• Weekend and holiday rotation work will be required
• You will travel to the Sana manufacturing facility on the East Coast to support tech transfer and clinical manufacturing operations – approximately 10% of your time
• You will handle human tissue-derived cells
• Occasional bending and lifting smaller equipment and media (up to approximately 20kg)
• Working safely in person on a predictable and regular in-person basis is an essential job function for this position, and we require that all individuals working in-person be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including receipt of a vaccine booster shot if recommended by the CDC

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, employer paid basic life insurance,  additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, 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, social class (including caste/caste identity), 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.