Research Associate

Job Title – Research Associate

Location - Research Triangle Park, NC

Duration – 12+ Months Contract

Total Hours/week - 40.00
1st Shift

Client: Medical Device Company

Employment Type: Contract on W2 (Need US Citizens Or GC Holders Only)
Work days/hours: M - F 8am - 5pm

Work days/hours: M - F 8 am - 5 pm

Senior level (PhD or equivalent), general area of chemistry, materials, polymers, etc.

BD Technologies and Innovation, located in Research Triangle Park NC, seeks a research associate to work as a member of an R&D team that is involved in identifying, developing, and testing new technologies for a range of medical devices, including diagnostics and surgical devices. Specifically, the team is focused on the chemical and materials aspects of these devices. Under the supervision of a manager, the candidate will help with the development of new chemical formulations (hydrogels, coatings, viscoelastic materials, dried reagents, etc.), and test methods for characterizing those formulations. This includes chemical modification of materials, determination of their physico-chemical properties by various analytical instrumentation methods, and assessment of functional performance both in-vitro and in-vivo.

The successful candidate must have hands-on experience working in a chemicals/materials/biomedical/diagnostics lab, be knowledgeable in the use of soft materials (polymers, particles, biomaterials, etc.), be familiar with synthetic chemistry techniques, and have hands-on experience with analytical instrumentation techniques used for materials characterization (for example, rheology, DSC, GPC, spectroscopic methods). Additional experience with test method development using medical prototypes, working knowledge of biomedical polymeric materials, and preclinical testing in animals is also valuable.

The candidate should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to identify and resolve experimental challenges proactively, and a strong desire to gain experience in developing medical technologies. The candidate should be able to plan and conduct scientific experiments, and effectively analyze, interpret, and present experimental results while collaborating with team members from a variety of backgrounds. The candidate should also be able to adapt to changing requirements that can arise in a dynamic work environment and will be expected to contribute intellectually to areas not directly related to his or her field.

Requirements
• Hands-on laboratory experience working with various chemicals/materials/polymers
• Experience developing formulations using soft materials (polymers, emulsions, particles, biomedical polyesters, other viscoelastic systems, etc.)
• Experience operating commonly used materials characterization tools (for example, rheometer, spectroscopic methods, DSC, GPC, etc.) and interpreting resultant data
• Ability to design, execute, and appropriately document experiments
• Good written and verbal technical communication skills
• Ability to effectively interpret and present scientific results

Desired skills
• Experience in basic synthetic chemistry (small molecule or polymer synthesis)
• Knowledge of polymer processing methods (extrusion, 3D printing, etc.), resorbable materials
• Experience with in-vivo testing of biomedical devices or prototypes
• Willingness to work occasionally with biological specimens (e.g. blood) for lab scale testing

Education:
Graduate degree or equivalent work experience in the fields of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, or related scientific discipline. Prior work experience in a medical device or diagnostics R&D organization is a plus.