Research Associate I – CDx Pharma Services – Assay Development

Planet Pharma; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 28,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Pharma in Tucson, AZ is seeking a Research Associate I to join the PHCS group, supporting early-phase assays and transferring them to CAP/CLIA labs for clinical trials.

This entry-level role covers laboratory experimentation, manufacturing procedures, and computational data processing, with opportunities to engage in literature and conferences while maintaining GMP/GLP compliance and rigorous documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific field.
• 0-2 years of relevant laboratory or industry experience.
• Customer-facing experience (e.g., retail, restaurant, or service industry).

Responsibilities

• Conduct research, development, and manufacturing laboratory experimentation and other scientific activities to support projects.
• Exercise technical expertise in design, execution, and interpretation of experiments.
• Prepare technical reports, summaries, protocols, and quantitative analyses.
• Present and discuss results of experiments within the department and project team.
• Maintain laboratory documentation and electronic files.
• Follow GMP, GLP, Design Control, and regulatory standards as appropriate.

Skills

Customer service experience

Computational biology basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific field

Job description

Target Pay Rate: 20-27/hr salary will be commensurate with experience

Position Overview

The Research Associate I will join an independent team within the PHCS group focused on developing early-phase assays prior to transferring them to CAP/CLIA-certified laboratories for clinical trials. This entry-level role supports laboratory experimentation, scientific activities, manufacturing procedures, and computational data processing.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research, development, and manufacturing laboratory experimentation and other scientific activities to support projects.
• Exercise technical expertise and discretion in the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments that contribute to project strategies.
• Prepare technical reports, summaries, protocols, and quantitative analyses.
• Present and discuss results of experiments within the department and project team.
• Maintain a high level of professional expertise through familiarity with scientific literature, with opportunities to participate in conferences and professional societies.
• Follow company policies and procedures for GMP, GLP, Design Control, and other regulatory standards as appropriate.
• Maintain complete and accurate laboratory documentation and electronic files.
• Act as principal investigator in conducting own experiments as required.
• Assist team members with basic computational biology tasks, including executing scripts and reading code to distribute workload demands.

Candidate Qualifications & Requirements

Required Education & Experience:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific field.
• Experience: 0 to 2 years of relevant laboratory or industry experience.
• Customer Service Experience: Demonstrated customer-facing experience (e.g., retail, restaurant, or service industry) to effectively manage client interactions and challenging situations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Basic computational biology skills, including familiarity with reading code and running scripts.

Qualification Parameters:

• Candidates possessing a Master's degree, PhD, or more than 2 years of relevant experience are considered overqualified for this position.