Research Assistant - Phage & Bacterial R&D

Tabula Bio; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 34,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

Tabula Bioscience is seeking a hands-on Research Assistant for a fast-moving microbiology and molecular biology R&D program focused on bacteriophages and gram-negative bacteria. This temp-to-hire role requires 1–3 years of biotech lab experience and a detail-oriented mindset.

On-site work in Madison, WI, with duties spanning PCR, cloning, phage assays, growth curves, and NGS prep. You’ll execute SOPs at the bench and progressively take on independent experiment tasks, contributing to a dynamic

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of relevant lab experience in biotech/industry setting or highly hands-on academic experience.
• Competent in each core responsibility listed above.
• Strong attention to detail and contamination control habits.
• Able to work on-site in a BSL-2 lab and complete safety training.
• Comfortable with physical lab work (lifting up to 35 lbs).

Responsibilities

• Perform routine molecular biology workflows, including PCR, agarose gels, basic molecular cloning, and DNA/RNA handling.
• Conduct bacterial culture work with BSL-2 gram-negative organisms (e.g., E. coli, Pseudomonas).
• Execute phage assays such as plaque/spot assays and related readouts.
• Run growth curves and plate-based assays, including 96-well formats and plate reader usage.
• Prepare media, agar plates, and stock solutions; maintain lab readiness and proper labeling.
• Support NGS-related sample preparation tasks (nucleic acid extraction, QC, sequencing prep).
• Maintain accurate lab notebooks and documentation (Benchling experience is a plus).

Skills

Molecular biology

PCR

DNA/RNA handling

BSL-2 lab

Contamination control

Documentation

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in biology

Tools

Benchling

Plate reader

Molecular cloning

Job description

About the role

We’re seeking a hands-on Research Assistant to support a fast-moving microbiology and molecular biology R&D program focused on bacteriophages and gram-negative bacteria (including E. coli and Pseudomonas). This is a temp-to-hire position for someone with 1–3 years of biotech/industry lab experience who is detail-oriented, contamination-conscious, and able to execute on SOPs with a path toward contributing to research.

What you’ll do

You’ll spend the majority of your time at the bench executing SOPs, with the goal of progressing toward running portions of experiments independently.

Core Responsibilities

• Perform routine molecular biology workflows, including PCR, agarose gels, basic molecular cloning, and DNA/RNA handling.

• Conduct bacterial culture work with BSL-2 gram-negative organisms: picking colonies, streaking, culturing, preparing samples, and maintaining strain stocks.

• Execute phage assays including plaque assays / spot assays, and related workflows (e.g., host range / EOP-style readouts and quantitation).

• Run growth curves and plate-based assays, including work in 96-well formats and use of a plate reader.

• Prepare media, agar plates, and stock solutions; support general lab readiness (mixing reagents, labeling, sterile technique).

• Support NGS-related sample preparation tasks (e.g., nucleic acid extraction and handling, sample QC, and sequencing prep steps as assigned).

• Maintain excellent documentation in an R&D environment (lab notebooking; Benchling experience is a plus).

Required qualifications

• 1-3 years of relevant lab experience, ideally in a biotech/industry setting (academic experience considered if highly hands-on).

• Demonstrated competency with each core responsibility above

• Strong attention to detail and excellent contamination control habits.

• Ability to work on-site in a BSL-2 lab and complete required safety training.

• Comfortable with physical lab work, including lifting up to 35 lbs.

• Clear communication, reliability, and ability to follow written SOPs and protocols.

Highly desired / nice-to-have

• Phage experience (plaque assays, spot assays, phage handling/quantitation).

• Experience with e. coli, klebsiella, pseudomonas, or other gram-negative pathogens in BSL-2 settings.

• Experience with nucleic acid extraction and NGS sample preparation workflows.

• Familiarity with Benchling or similar ELN systems.

• MS degree is a plus (but hands-on lab skill is most important).

About Tabula Bioscience

Tabula is developing a new class of phage therapies to address antibiotic resistant infections. We are a team of phage, machine learning, and genomics researchers from MIT and Harvard.

Pay: $25.00 - $37.00 per hour

Benefits

• 401(k)

• 401(k) matching

• Dental insurance

• Health insurance

• Life insurance

• Paid time off

• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person