The Company
Transition Bio is an innovative, early-stage biotechnology company with the vision of being the world leader in drug discovery targeting biological condensates. At Transition Bio, multidisciplinary teams with diverse skillsets in biology, biophysics, chemistry, engineering, and machine learning work closely together, building first-in-class technology for high-throughput screening to aid hit identification and driving drug discovery. With close affiliation to Cambridge and Harvard universities, our approach is truly original and encompasses a growing collection of novel technologies and methodologies.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic Research Associate with a strong background in protein science. The successful candidate will enjoy working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and applying a broad range of molecular biology, protein biochemistry and biophysical techniques to support and advance our drug discovery projects. You will have the opportunity to contribute to innovative therapeutic projects in a dynamic research environment where scientific excellence, collaboration and innovation are at the core of everything we do.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and generate
constructs for recombinant protein expression using molecular biology techniques, including PCR, Gibson Assembly, site directed mutagenesis, plasmid preparation and sequence verification.
- Recombinant expression of proteins in bacterial, insect cell (Sf9/baculovirus) and mammalian systems.
- Protein purification using ÄKTA FPLC systems and a range of techniques including affinity, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography (SEC).
- Assess protein quality and stability using biochemical and biophysical methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, SEC, differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), and other analytical techniques.
- Work closely with senior members of the team to assist in developing, optimising and executing biochemical and biophysical assays such as HTRF, Alpha Screen, GCI (similar to SPR) to support target validation and small-molecule drug discovery projects.
- Assist in experimental data analysis, preparation of technical reports and scientific presentations.
- Maintain accurate experimental records in accordance with company quality standards.
- Plan, prioritise and execute experiments both independently and in collaboration with scientists across biology, chemistry and computational disciplines.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- MSc (or equivalent) in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemical Biology, or Biotechnology. Candidates with a BSc degree and relevant industrial experience will also be considered.
- Hands-on lab experience in molecular biology, including construct design, cloning, plasmid preparation and sequence analysis.
- Practical experience in recombinant protein expression and purification using bacterial and insect cell or mammalian expression systems.
- Experience with operating chromatography systems e.g. ÄKTA and familiarity with a broad range of protein purification techniques.
- Knowledge of biochemical and biophysical assays. Familiarity with HTRF, Alpha Screen, SPR, GCI, BLI, MST, DSF or related technologies is highly desirable.
- Experience supporting assay development or high-throughput screening would be advantageous. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot experiments and interpret data.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing technical reports, scientific documentation and project presentations.
- A proactive, collaborative and can-do attitude and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.
Desirable Experience
- Previous experience working within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
- Experience with baculovirus generation and insect cell culture.
- Familiarity with automated liquid handling systems or high-throughput screening platforms.
- Experience working with challenging protein targets such as intrinsically-disordered proteins and proteins that undergo phase separation.
- Experience using scientific data analysis software such as GraphPad Prism, Benchling, Dotmatics.