Research Associate II- Center for Human Brain Variation

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 80,667; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible spending accounts

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Parental and family care leave

Job summary

A leading research institute in Cambridge is seeking a motivated Research Associate II to join their experimentalist team. The role involves contributing to experimental workflows, conducting various molecular biological reactions, and maintaining meticulous records. Candidates should hold a Bachelor's degree related to biology and possess strong communication skills. A competitive benefits package is offered, along with a salary range between $58,000 - $80,667 annually. This position requires onsite work five days per week.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of related experience or 1 year with a Master's.
• Experience with single-cell RNAseq, ATACseq, and multiome data preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to experimental workflows for profiling individual cells in brain tissue.
• Optimize and execute molecular biological reactions such as PCR and DNA extractions.
• Maintain meticulous records and document all experiments.

Skills

Ability to critically read scientific publications

Strong collaborative skills

Excellent written communication skills

Excellent verbal communication skills

Ability to work independently

Education

Bachelor’s degree in biology, neuroscience, chemistry or related field

Master’s degree in biology or related field

Job description

The Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard is looking for an outstanding Research Associate II to join the experimentalist team in the Center for Human Brain Variation. The mission of the project is to address an unmet need in cell census research: to understand the cell‑type‑specific mechanisms and larger tissue‑level biological principles that generate meaningful variation in brain biology among people.

We are seeking a highly motivated, collaborative Research Associate to support this important effort in close collaboration with other project scientists. The Research Associate should be able to conduct bench experiments with minimal supervision and will have opportunities to present at lab meetings and contribute to writing experimental protocols.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute to experimental workflows for profiling the molecular contents and biological states of thousands of individual cells in brain tissue, including planning experiments, creating DNA‑barcoding reagents, extracting nuclei from human brain tissue, preparing molecular libraries, and high‑throughput sequencing.
• Optimize and execute molecular‑biological reactions such as PCR, DNA extractions from human brain tissue, and next‑generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation.
• Maintain meticulous records and document all experiments in the lab notebook.
• Attend and contribute to team meetings.
• Contribute to generation and optimization of experimental protocols.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, neuroscience, chemistry or a related field with 2+ years of related experience, or Master’s degree with at least 1 year of related experience.
• Experience generating single‑cell RNAseq, ATACseq, and multiome data preferred but not required.
• Ability to critically read and discuss scientific research publications.
• Strong ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Must be comfortable and able to work onsite five days per week.

Pay Range: 58,000.00 – 80,667.00 USD Annual. The expected base salary range for this position as listed above is based on a 40‑hour per week schedule. Broad provides pay ranges representing its reasonable and good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will vary based on factors including but not limited to relevant skills, experience, education, qualifications, and other factors permissible by law.

From day one, this role offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending and health savings accounts; at least 13 paid holidays; winter closure; paid time off; parental and family care leave; and an employee assistance program, among other Broad benefits.

The Broad Institute is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Should you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.