Bioprocess Research Associate – Protein Expression & Purification

Roke Biotechnologies; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 44,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary $44,000-$50,000 per year

Health insurance (medical, and vision)

Job summary

Roke Biotechnologies, a Durham, NC-based biotech startup, is hiring a Research Associate to help develop a low-cost protein biomanufacturing platform. The role focuses on purification process development, strain engineering, and bioreactor scale-up using engineered E.

coli. This bench-focused position suits someone with 1–3 years of experience in microbiology or bioprocess engineering who enjoys hands-on experimentation and working in a small, collaborative team at an exciting early-stage

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology, Chemical/Biological Engineering, or a related field
• 3 years of hands-on laboratory experience
• Demonstrated experience with E. coli protein expression, molecular cloning, and strain engineering or genome editing
• Proficiency with standard analytical methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, and/or qPCR
• Strong attention to detail, ability to maintain thorough lab notebooks and experimental records
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of experiments while collaborating within a small team

Responsibilities

• Perform strain engineering and genome editing in E. coli to improve purification performance
• Scale up optimized processes in a 1-L bioreactor
• Optimize purification conditions using Design of Experiments (DoE) approaches
• Characterize protein expression and purity using SDS-PAGE, qPCR, endotoxin testing, and related analytical methods
• Maintain detailed experimental records, summarize results, and contribute to technical reports and grant deliverables
• Support general lab operations including reagent and buffers preparation, strain maintenance, and equipment upkeep

Skills

Hands-on laboratory experience

E. coli protein expression

Molecular cloning

Strain engineering

Analytical methods (SDS-PAGE, qPCR)

Detail-oriented

Independent work in small team

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology or related field

Tools

SDS-PAGE

Western blot

ELISA

qPCR

Job description

Roke Biotechnologies, a Durham, NC-based biotech startup, is hiring a Research Associate to help develop a low-cost protein biomanufacturing platform. The role focuses on purification process development, strain engineering, and bioreactor scale-up using engineered E.

coli. This bench-focused position suits someone with 1–3 years of experience in microbiology or bioprocess engineering who enjoys hands-on experimentation and working in a small, collaborative team at an exciting early-stage