Research Associate I

About this role

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE I

SecureBio | Cambridge, MA (On-Site)

ABOUT SECUREBIO

SecureBio is a nonprofit working to protect the world from catastrophic pandemics. As advances in biotechnology lower the barriers to engineering dangerous pathogens, our mission is to make sure humanity's detection and alert systems are ready. Our Detection team runs one of the world's largest metagenomic biosurveillance networks, sequencing wastewater and nasal swab samples daily to catch emerging pathogens before they reach outbreak scale. Every sample that comes through our lab is one that our computational team can turn into a real detection signal, sometimes for pathogens nobody was specifically looking for.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Laboratory Science team is where the work of biosurveillance begins. Samples arrive from partner sites across the country and go through concentration, extraction, and library prep before being sequenced and handed off to the computational team. Right now, the lab is a group of eight, including four scientists and four Research Associates, working closely together and increasingly cross trained so people can move fluidly between roles. It's the kind of team where you learn quickly, get real ownership early, and see the impact of your work on the wider mission!

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're hiring a Research Associate I to help keep our sequencing pipeline running as we scale. Reporting to the Lab Operations Manager, you'll spend most of your time on sample processing, receiving wastewater and nasal swabs, taking them through concentration and extraction, and helping to move samples through the pipeline efficiently. You'll also spend some of your time on the molecular side, supporting library prep and stepping in where the team needs extra capacity.

This is a role where you'll build technical depth quickly. You'll be trained by scientists on protocols you may not have encountered before, you'll work with genuinely interesting sample types, and you'll be part of a small team where new ideas are actively welcomed.

WHY THIS ROLE, WHY NOW

The lab is in the middle of an ambitious effort to bring our sample turnaround time down and expand our capacity. That involves more sample volume, more coverage across the week, and more efficient movement between the different stages of the pipeline. This role adds capacity to that effort. It also builds redundancy into a small team, so that when someone is out or focused elsewhere, samples aren't sitting idle waiting for hands to become available. Beyond that, we're beginning to bring lab automation online over the next few months, and the person in this role will be part of that transition.

HOW YOU'LL SPEND YOUR TIME

- You'll spend roughly three quarters of your time on sample processing: receiving wastewater and nasal swab samples, then taking them through concentration, extraction, and quantification.

- You'll spend the remainder supporting molecular processing and library prep, particularly on weekend days.

- You'll document your work rigorously in our electronic laboratory notebook, follow SOPs carefully, and flag issues or suggest improvements as you spot them.

- You'll help keep the lab running day to day: maintaining clean, ready spaces and equipment, supporting upkeep, calibration, and service requests, and upholding safety and compliance.

- You'll help maintain reagent and consumable inventory, including stock monitoring, reorders, deliveries, and vendor coordination.

- You'll maintain accurate metadata and sample tracking, and support clean, standardised handoffs to the next stage in the pipeline.

- You'll troubleshoot workflow issues as they come up, escalating to senior staff where appropriate and supporting corrective actions.

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE

This role is on-site five days per week, with one of those days being either a Saturday or a Sunday, and a corresponding day off during the week. Weekend coverage really matters here: it allows us to receive and begin processing samples on days the lab would otherwise be quiet, and cuts significant time out of our end-to-end turnaround.

WHAT GREAT LOOKS LIKE TWELVE MONTHS IN

- You've become proficient across the lab's sample processing and molecular workflows, and are trusted to run them independently.

- You've supported the team through the transition into greater use of automation and grown comfortable working alongside those systems.

- The samples you've handled have made their way through to the computational team quickly, cleanly, and with the metadata they need.

- You've flagged and helped fix things that weren't quite working, and the lab is a bit better run than when you joined because you were in it.

- You've grown as a scientist, taken advantage of the professional opportunities SecureBio provides, and started to shape the direction you want to take next in your career.

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WE'RE MOST INTERESTED IN YOU HAVING

Required

- A Bachelor's degree in a life sciences field, with 2+ years of hands-on wet-lab experience. This can be academic.

- Hands-on experience with sample processing, PCR, and nucleic acid extraction and quantification.

- Experience with data entry in an electronic laboratory notebook.

- Demonstrated ability to follow laboratory protocols carefully and capture rigorous, organised notes.

- Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to take on operational and lab upkeep tasks alongside the scientific work.

- A proactive mindset: comfort speaking up, flagging issues, and suggesting improvements to workflows.

- The ability to work collaboratively, take direction well, and communicate clearly across a small team.

Preferred

- Some experience or familiarity working with RNA.

- Exposure to short- and/or long-read sequencing workflows, including NGS sample processing and library preparation.

- Experience working with viruses.

- Familiarity with inventory, ordering, or s

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