Research Associate – Protein Biomanufacturing

Roke Biotechnologies; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 44,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary $44,000-$50,000 per year

Health insurance (medical, and vision)

Job summary

Roke Biotechnologies, a Durham, NC-based biotech startup, is hiring a Research Associate to help develop a low-cost protein biomanufacturing platform. The role focuses on purification process development, strain engineering, and bioreactor scale-up using engineered E.

coli. This bench-focused position suits someone with 1–3 years of experience in microbiology or bioprocess engineering who enjoys hands-on experimentation and working in a small, collaborative team at an exciting early-stage

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology, Chemical/Biological Engineering, or a related field
• 3 years of hands-on laboratory experience
• Demonstrated experience with E. coli protein expression, molecular cloning, and strain engineering or genome editing
• Proficiency with standard analytical methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, and/or qPCR
• Strong attention to detail, ability to maintain thorough lab notebooks and experimental records
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of experiments while collaborating within a small team

Responsibilities

• Perform strain engineering and genome editing in E. coli to improve purification performance
• Scale up optimized processes in a 1-L bioreactor
• Optimize purification conditions using Design of Experiments (DoE) approaches
• Characterize protein expression and purity using SDS-PAGE, qPCR, endotoxin testing, and related analytical methods
• Maintain detailed experimental records, summarize results, and contribute to technical reports and grant deliverables
• Support general lab operations including reagent and buffers preparation, strain maintenance, and equipment upkeep

Skills

Hands-on laboratory experience

E. coli protein expression

Molecular cloning

Strain engineering

Analytical methods (SDS-PAGE, qPCR)

Detail-oriented

Independent work in small team

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology or related field

Tools

SDS-PAGE

Western blot

ELISA

qPCR

Job description

Roke Biotechnologies is a Durham, NC-based biotech startup transforming protein biomanufacturing. Spun out of Duke University in 2020, Roke develops low-cost, scalable manufacturing platforms for recombinant proteins and peptides using engineered E. coli strains. Our proprietary two-stage expression system, chromatography-free purification methods, and integrated strain engineering tools reduce costs and timelines across various applications.

Roke operates out of Duke's BRiDGE startup incubator, with growing revenue from enzyme sales and technology licensing. Our team is small, highly technical, and collaborative - this is an opportunity to make a direct and meaningful contribution to an early-stage company at an exciting inflection point.

The Role

We are hiring a Research Associate to join our team and contribute to a project focused on developing a low-cost protein biomanufacturing platform for growth factor alternatives. This role will focus on purification process development, strain engineering, and bioreactor scale-up using Roke's engineered E. coli strains.

This is a hands-on, bench-focused position ideal for someone with 1-3 years of experience in microbiology, molecular biology, or bioprocess engineering who wants to work at the intersection of synthetic biology and applied manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform strain engineering and genome editing in E. coli to improve purification performance
• Scale up optimized processes in a 1-L bioreactor
• Optimize purification conditions using Design of Experiments (DoE) approaches
• Characterize protein expression and purity using SDS-PAGE, qPCR, endotoxin testing, and related analytical methods
• Maintain detailed experimental records, summarize results, and contribute to technical reports and grant deliverables
• Support general lab operations including reagent and buffers preparation, strain maintenance, and equipment upkeep

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology, Chemical/Biological Engineering, or a related field
• 3 years of hands-on laboratory experience
• Demonstrated experience with E. coli protein expression, molecular cloning, and strain engineering or genome editing
• Proficiency with standard analytical methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, and/or qPCR
• Strong attention to detail, ability to maintain thorough lab notebooks and experimental records
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of experiments while collaborating within a small team

Preferred Qualifications

• Mammalian cell culture
• Familiarity with protein purification techniques (e.g., chromatography, precipitation, filtration)
• Experience with bioreactor operation
• Experience with Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology and statistical analysis
• Familiarity with endotoxin testing
• Experience interpreting proteomics or mass spectrometry datasets
• Programming skills (Python preferred) for data analysis
• Experience working in a startup, incubator, or small-team research environment
• Salary $44,000-$50,000 per year
• Health insurance (medical, and vision)
• Opportunity to work at the forefront of biomanufacturing innovation in a collaborative, fast-paced startup environment
• Hands-on mentorship from experienced scientists (PhD-level) with deep expertise in synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering