Associate R&D Scientist Posted: Apr 2, 2025 Covaris, LLC Woburn

Covaris Inc.; Woburn (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in biotechnology is seeking an Associate Scientist to join their innovative R&D team. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in genome sequencing and protein analysis. The ideal candidate will engage in experimental design, data analysis, and prototype testing while collaborating with a diverse team of scientists and engineers. If you are passionate about life sciences and eager to make a significant impact in a pioneering environment, this position could be the perfect fit for you.

Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in life sciences with relevant experience.
• Knowledge of NGS data analysis and molecular biology techniques.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute experiments to support R&D projects.
• Analyze data and present results for product development.

Skills

Molecular Biology Techniques

Data Analysis

Communication Skills

Statistical Knowledge

Team Collaboration

Education

Master's Degree in Biology

Bachelor's Degree in Biology

Tools

Excel

NGS Technology

PCR

Electrophoresis

Job description

Covaris, LLC (a PerkinElmer subsidiary) is a leading sample preparation solution provider in Biotechnology headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has pioneered the Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA) technology platform, thereby revolutionizing pre-analytical sample preparation in the world of Omics, such as genomics, proteomics, etc.

As a global leader in sample preparation technologies for life sciences research and molecular diagnostics applications, Covaris has successfully been awarded the ISO 13485 Quality System Certification. This certification demonstrates our commitment to meeting the highest international standards for medical device quality management systems and ensuring the high quality of life science research data for research and innovation.

Job Summary:

This position presents an exciting opportunity for an Associate Scientist with life sciences education and experience. The candidate is expected to substantially contribute to Research and Development projects in a leading ISO13485 – certified biotech company. The successful candidate will be part of a multi-disciplinary R&D team that integrates the expertise and experience of biologists, chemists, physicists and mechanical and electrical engineers. The candidate will support research and development of next generation genome sequencing and protein analysis platforms, including reagents, consumables and instrumentation systems.

Essential Responsibilities and Position-related Expectations:

1. Planning, execution and analysis of experiments to prove feasibility of new ideas and concepts.
2. Generation of highly reproducible data, data analysis and presentation of results and conclusions.
3. Participation in prototype testing and assistance in product development and commercialization efforts.
4. Migration of manually performed workflows to semi- and fully automated processes including the Company’s Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA) instrumentation.
5. Ability to understand and to follow Standard Operating Procedures to support day-to-day activities such as QC tests of instrumentation and reagents.

Examples of day-to-day tasks include but are not limited to:

1. Sample prep, i.e., isolation of biomolecules such as nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and protein, downstream processing and analysis, with and without use of Covaris’ proprietary AFA technology.
2. Analysis of nucleic acids, such as quantification using various methods, including absorption, fluorescent quantification, qPCR and digital PCR mediated assessment of quantities and quality, electrophoretic molecular weight analysis, NGS library construction and sequencing runs on Illumina platforms.
3. Analysis of proteins, including trypsin digests, ELISA assays and fluorescent quantification.
4. Microbial and eukaryotic cell culture to develop novel sample prep workflows for manual as well as automated workflows.
5. Handling and processing of clinical specimens, such as whole blood, plasma, FFPE and fresh/frozen tissue, microbial cultures.

As a Successful Candidate You Will:

1. Be a self-starter, needing minimal daily supervision.
2. Be able to work towards given goals and deadlines.
3. Have excellent oral and written communication skills.
4. Demonstrate solid analysis skills including Excel spreadsheet-based analysis and documentation, basic statistical knowledge.
5. Have experience in basic molecular biology techniques (PCR, electrophoresis, nucleic acid or protein isolation and purification).
6. Be knowledgeable about sterile cell cultures techniques.
7. Possess a strong team spirit and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers.

In addition to the essential responsibilities listed above, the employee may be required to perform other non-essential functions. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.

Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree with 2 years or bachelor’s degree with 3+ years of experience in biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related life science field.
   • Experience in industrial settings and/or basic knowledge of document-controlled development processes is a plus.
   • Experience with NGS data analysis and NGS Technology in general is a plus.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Covaris LLC is committed to the spirit and the letter of the Americans with Disabilities Act. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate otherwise qualified individuals.