Research Associate - Preclinical/In Vivo

GC Therapeutics; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Transportation subsidy

Job summary

GC Therapeutics in Cambridge, MA seeks a Research Associate to join our Preclinical team. You will execute in vitro and in vivo studies, support colony maintenance and genotyping, and generate high-quality data to advance our therapeutic pipeline.

This early-career role emphasizes hands-on biology, meticulous record-keeping, and cross-functional collaboration, with occasional weekend work. We offer a competitive base salary, bonus eligibility, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in biology, biomedical sciences, or related field.
• 1–3 years of relevant laboratory experience in biotech, pharma, or CRO settings.
• Hands-on rodent experience including handling and exposure to dosing/tissue collection.
• Experience with tissue processing, immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, and microscopy.
• Mammalian cell culture and core molecular biology techniques such as DNA/RNA extraction and PCR.
• Meticulous attention to detail and ability to manage multiple experiments.
• Availability for occasional weekend responsibilities.
• Experience with rodent models of neurological or neurodegenerative disease.
• Stereotaxic surgery or CNS dosing in rodents.
• CNS tissue collection, cryosectioning, or confocal microscopy.
• Flow cytometry or other cell-based assays.
• Experience maintaining or differentiating pluripotent stem cells, including iPSCs.
• Familiarity with animal colony management and genotyping.

Responsibilities

• Execute rodent in vivo studies including dosing, necropsy, tissue collection and processing.
• Support colony maintenance and genotyping.
• Perform tissue processing, immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, microscopy, and image analysis.
• Maintain mammalian cell cultures and perform DNA/RNA extraction and PCR.
• Analyze and summarize experimental data; prepare figures for meetings.
• Maintain accurate records per SOPs and protocols.
• Collaborate across research teams; occasional weekend coverage for animals/cell culture.

Skills

Rodent handling

Immunohistochemistry

Immunofluorescence

Mammalian cell culture

DNA/RNA extraction

PCR

Attention to detail

Weekend availability

Education

Bachelor's degree in biology/biomedical sciences

Tools

Immunohistochemistry

Immunofluorescence

Microscopy

Genotyping

Job description

Company Overview

GC Therapeutics is the first genome-wide cell landscape exploration company using an integrated synthetic biology and AI-driven platform for cell programming. Its patent-pending and proprietary pluripotent stem cell differentiation technology platform TFome™ was developed in Professor George Church’s lab, a pioneer in synthetic biology, and allows for the development of unique cell therapies with significantly streamlined manufacturing, improved cell quality, efficiency and speed. GC Therapeutics is based in Cambridge, MA. For additional information, please visit www.gc-tx.com.

Job Purpose

GC Therapeutics is seeking a talented and highly motivated Research Associate to join our Preclinical team. The successful candidate will support the advancement of GC Therapeutics’ therapeutic pipeline through hands-on execution of in vitro and in vivo studies.

This role is well suited for an early-career scientist with a strong interest in learning about preclinical drug development and conducting hands-on laboratory and animal research. The successful candidate will work closely with cross-functional team members to generate high-quality experimental data and support the progression of research programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Execute rodent in vivo studies, including handling, dosing, monitoring, necropsy, tissue collection, and tissue processing.
• Support colony maintenance and genotyping.
• Perform tissue sectioning, immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, microscopy, and image analysis.
• Maintain mammalian cell cultures and perform molecular and cell-based assays, including DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, and flow cytometry.
• Analyze and summarize experimental data, preparing figures and presentations for internal meetings.
• Maintain accurate laboratory and animal records in accordance with SOPs, study protocols, and safety requirements.
• Collaborate across research teams, including occasional weekend coverage for animal studies and cell culture.

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in biology, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of relevant laboratory experience in an academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or CRO setting; strong undergraduate research or internship experience may be considered.
• Hands-on rodent experience, including basic handling and some exposure to dosing, tissue collection, surgery, or other in vivo procedures.
• Experience with tissue processing, immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence, and microscopy.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and core molecular biology techniques such as DNA/RNA extraction and PCR.
• Meticulous attention to detail, with the organizational discipline to follow protocols precisely, document work thoroughly, and manage multiple experiments at once.
• Availability for occasional weekend responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with rodent models of neurological or neurodegenerative disease.
• Experience with stereotaxic surgery or CNS dosing in rodents.
• Experience with CNS tissue collection, cryosectioning, or confocal microscopy.
• Experience with flow cytometry or other cell-based characterization assays.
• Experience maintaining or differentiating pluripotent stem cells, including iPSCs.
• Familiarity with animal colony management and genotyping.

Pay Range

$90,000 - $120,000

(This range reflects the base salary only and does not include additional compensation such as annual bonus and equity awards, which are part of the total compensation package.)

Disclosure Statement: The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting. This role is eligible for an annual bonus. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

At GC Therapeutics, our generous competitive benefits package also include generous PTO, paid holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Life and Disability Insurance and transportation subsidy.

Equal Opportunity Workplace: GC Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and existing employees without regard to ancestry, national origin, place of birth, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, service in the military or otherwise to the full extent of all federal, state and local laws. GC Therapeutics’ equal employment opportunity policy applies to all terms and conditions of recruiting, hiring, placement, training, compensation, transfer, leave of absence, employment, promotion, layoff and termination of employment.