Senior Research Associate – Strain & Enzyme Engineering

Manus Bio Inc.; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Manus Bio Inc. in Waltham, MA is seeking a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate to support strain engineering and analytics workflows. You will design and construct plasmids, generate chromosomally integrated E.

coli strains, and process analytical data to identify high-performing strains. This hands-on role requires collaboration across a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced setting. You will execute defined engineering campaigns, contribute to data management in LIMS, and help

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 0–4 years’ relevant experience.
• Bachelor’s with 4–7 years’ or Master’s with 2–4 years’ relevant experience.
• Degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, bioengineering, or related field.
• Hands‑on experience with plasmid design and cloning (e.g., Gibson assembly, Golden Gate, restriction/ligation).
• Experience culturing and screening engineered microbial strains in liquid and/or solid formats.

Responsibilities

• Design, construct, and validate plasmids for gene expression and pathway engineering in microbial hosts.
• Generate chromosomally integrated E. coli strains (e.g., via recombineering or CRISPR-based methods).
• Culture and maintain engineered E. coli strains in solid and liquid formats at lab scale.
• Perform liquid‑liquid or solid‑phase extraction of fermentation broth and other sample matrices to prepare samples for analytical testing.
• Operate GC and/or LC instrumentation to generate quantitative data on strain performance (e.g., titer, yield, product profile).
• Process, QC, and interpret analytical and strain‑performance data; summarize and present findings to the project team.
• Ensure accurate data collection, processing, and upload to LIMS systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (molecular biology, fermentation, downstream processing) to improve experimental outcomes.
• Maintain instrumentation readiness and general lab organization.
• Author and update SOPs and experimental documentation.

Skills

Hands-on plasmid design

Cloning techniques (Gibson, GoldenGate

Culturing and screening engineered Str

Data analysis and visualization

Python/SQL

Benchling/LIMS familiarity

GC/LC data interpretation

Education

Bachelor’s degree required

Master’s degree beneficial

Tools

Benchling

GC/LC instrumentation

Job description

Manus Bio Inc. in Waltham, MA is seeking a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate to support strain engineering and analytics workflows. You will design and construct plasmids, generate chromosomally integrated E.

coli strains, and process analytical data to identify high-performing strains. This hands-on role requires collaboration across a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced setting. You will execute defined engineering campaigns, contribute to data management in LIMS, and help