Research Associate, Protein Purification & Quality Control

medraai; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

An opportunity to change the way that

Fast-paced, creative and collaborative

Significant equity ownership

401k

Medical a

Job summary

Medra is seeking a Research Associate to build and run protein production and QC on the Medra Physical AI platform in an on-site San Francisco setting. You will execute workflows—from cell growth and transfection to purification and QC—making processes robust, automation-ready, and reliable for customers.

You will work hands-on with mammalian expression and purification, analyze chromatograms, and help scale methods while documenting results and maintaining SOPs.

Qualifications

• Hands-on wet-lab experience with recombinant protein workflows.
• Experience purifying proteins using AKTA/FPLC and bead-based methods.
• Strong documentation habits and meticulous record-keeping.

Responsibilities

• Run automated mammalian cell growth and transfection for recombinant protein expression.
• Purify proteins using AKTA/FPLC and KingFisher platforms; perform buffer exchange and polishing.
• Perform analytical QC by SEC and SDS-PAGE to assess purity and monomericity; support additional QC.
• Prepare buffers, resins, columns, and consumables; maintain instrument cleanliness and qualification.
• Collaborate with roboticists and software engineers to automate purification and QC workflows.
• Document protocols and workflows; maintain ELN records for reproducibility.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Protein purification

Analytical QC

Lab automation

Documentation

Data analysis

SOP adherence

Education

B.S./M.S. in biochemistry

M.S. in molecular biology

Tools

AKTA/FPLC

KingFisher

Bead-based purification

Job description

What We're Building

At Medra, our mission is to use AI, robotics, and biology to accelerate life science research, with the ultimate goal of eradicating disease. We have been quietly building the foundational layers of our Physical AI Scientist platform:

• Physical AI that can operate scientific instruments with human-level dexterity.
• Scientific AI that can analyze results, reason about next steps, and close the loop autonomously.

About the Role

We are looking for a Research Associate to help build and run protein production and quality control on the Medra Physical AI platform. Working alongside our scientists, you will execute the workflow that takes antibodies and alternative binders from cells to purified, characterized material - automated cell growth, transfection, purification, and analytical QC - and help turn these steps into robust, high-throughput workflows that run autonomously for our customers. Expression, capture and polishing chromatography, and purity and monomericity analysis are the daily bread of this role, and you'll play a hands‑on part in making them reproducible, automation‑ready, and reliable.

Key Responsibilities

• Run automated mammalian cell growth and transfection for recombinant protein expression, including cell maintenance, expansion, and transient transfection
• Perform protein purification on AKTA (FPLC) and KingFisher platforms - affinity capture, polishing, buffer exchange, and magnetic‑bead‑based processing
• Execute analytical QC by SEC (analytical UPLC/HPLC) to assess purity, aggregation, and monomericity, and support additional QC as needed (concentration, endotoxin, SDS‑PAGE)
• Prepare buffers, resins, columns, and consumables, and carry out instrument cleaning, maintenance, and column packing/qualification to keep workflows running reliably
• Execute purification and QC according to established SOPs, and help refine and document protocols as workflows mature
• Partner with roboticists and software engineers to translate manual purification and QC steps into reliable, high‑throughput autonomous protocols - including sample handling, deck/plate setup, and data pipeline integration
• Perform first‑pass data analysis and QC on chromatograms and SEC traces, tracking yield and purity and flagging anomalies for review
• Maintain rigorous, well‑organized experimental records in electronic lab notebooks (ELN) and support reproducibility across every batch you produce

What You Bring to the Team

• B.S. or M.S. in biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical/biological engineering, or a related discipline, with hands‑on laboratory experience (research, internship, or 0-2+ years of industry/academic lab work)
• Hands‑on experience with protein purification - chromatography on AKTA/FPLC and/or bead‑based purification - and comfort taking a sample from lysate or supernatant to purified protein
• Hands‑on wet‑lab experience and comfort at the bench - mammalian cell culture, aseptic technique, pipetting, and careful execution of detailed protocols
• Curiosity about protein biochemistry and analytical characterization, and eagerness to learn the theory and practical pitfalls (aggregation, capture chemistry, buffer conditions, column behavior)
• Strong documentation habits, attention to detail, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks in parallel
• A basic understanding of antibody structure and function, or a strong desire to learn it
• A scrappy, can‑do attitude - you figure things out, ask good questions, and get things done

Bonus Points For

• Hands‑on experience with analytical SEC or other analytical chromatography (UPLC/HPLC)
• Experience with automated or high‑throughput purification (e.g., KingFisher, multi‑column AKTA, robotic purification)
• Experience with mammalian expression systems (CHO/HEK) and transient transfection at scale
• Experience with lab automation or liquid handling platforms (e.g., Dynamic Devices Lynx, Tempest)
• Familiarity with alternative binder formats - VHHs, bispecifics, Fc‑fusions, or non‑Ig scaffolds
• Basic scripting or data‑handling skills (Python/R) for organizing and analyzing purification and QC data

This position is 100% in‑person; you must be able to come on‑site to our San Francisco office. We offer relocation benefits for applicants who need to relocate.

What We Offer

• An opportunity to change the way that scientific research happens
• Fast‑paced, creative, and collaborative work environment
• Significant equity ownership
• 401k
• Medical a