Research Assistant I- iPSC & Neuromuscular Disease Research

Boston Children’s Hospital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA invites applications for a Laboratory Research Assistant I in the Eagles Lab under Dr. Kuchuan Chen. The role focuses on human iPSC culture, differentiation into spinal cord organoids and skeletal myogenic progenitors, NMJ culture, and functional imaging.

Evenings and weekend hours may be required; start ASAP. Candidates should have a STEM/psychology background, experience with sterile cell culture, and strong records management to support cutting-edge

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM or Psychology required.
• Preference for Biology, Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Human iPSC culture, expansion, cryopreservation, and quality control.
• Differentiation of iPSCs into spinal cord organoids and skeletal myogenic progenitors.
• Establishment and maintenance of human NMJ cultures and assembloids.
• Preparation and execution of functional NMJ drug screens and hit-validation experiments.
• Microscopy and live-cell functional imaging (fluorescence, confocal, GCaMP calcium imaging).
• Cryosectioning, immunofluorescence staining, and quantitative image analysis.
• RNA purification, cDNA preparation, and qPCR.
• FACS and sample preparation for single-cell profiling.
• Basic mouse work: genotyping, tissue collection, processing.
• Maintaining records in notebooks and databases.
• Participation in weekly lab meetings.

Skills

iPSC culture

Organoid differentiation

NMJ culture

Live-cell imaging

Immunostaining

RNA purification

Cryosectioning

qPCR

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM or Psychology

Preference: Biology/Neuroscience/Molecular Biology/Bioengineering

Tools

Confocal microscopy

FACS

qPCR

Job description

Position Summary/ Department Summary:

We offer an opportunity to support cutting-edge neuromuscular disease research in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Engle at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School (http://kirbyneuro.org/EngleLab/). Our work uses human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), spinal cord organoids, skeletal muscle, and functional neuromuscular junction (NMJ) models to study spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and therapeutic strategies that restore motor neuron–muscle connectivity. This position is ideal for a self-motivated and detail-oriented individual interested in developing a broad skill set in stem cell culture, organoid differentiation, microscopy, functional imaging, molecular biology, single-cell profiling, and drug screening. The successful candidate will join the Eagles Lab as a Laboratory Research Assistant I, working under the supervision of Dr. Kuchuan Chen. Evenings and weekend hours will occasionally be required for cell culture experiments. This position is looking for someone to start ASAP.

Key Responsibilities:

• Human iPSC culture, expansion, cryopreservation, and routine quality control
• Differentiation of iPSCs into spinal cord organoids and skeletal myogenic progenitors
• Establishment and maintenance of human neuromuscular junction (NMJ) cultures and assembloids
• Preparation and execution of functional NMJ drug screens and hit-validation experiments
• Microscopy and live-cell functional imaging (i.e. fluorescence, confocal, GCaMP calcium imaging)
• Cryosectioning, immunofluorescence staining, and quantitative image analysis
• RNA purification, cDNA preparation, and quantitative PCR (qPCR)
• Cell/nuclei dissociation, fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), and sample preparation for single-cell/single-nucleus profiling
• Basic mouse work, including genotyping, tissue collection, and tissue processing
• Preparation of media and reagents, maintenance of research equipment, and other routine lab tasks
• Maintaining detailed records of experiments, cell lines, and analyses in lab notebooks and databases
• Participation in weekly group meetings (including presenting research progress at lab meetings)

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

• A bachelor's degree in STEM or Psychology is required for the role.
• Preference for a degree in Biology, Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• Experience with human iPSC/stem cell culture, neuron or muscle differentiation, or organoid culture
• Familiarity with motor neuron, skeletal muscle, or other mammalian cell culture systems
• Familiarity with immunostaining, cryosectioning, fluorescence/confocal microscopy, or live-cell imaging
• Experience with qPCR/RNA purification, FACS/flow cytometry, high-throughput assays, or mouse models are pluses, but not required
• Hands-on experience in sterile cell culture techniques, basic wet bench skills, and operating standard lab equipment
• Ability to maintain and manage complex cell-culture workflows, including careful, reproducible aseptic technique and pipetting