Senior Research Associate, Phenotypic Screening

Job Description

Job Description

The Allman Institute is a translational research organization applying personalized medicine to treat severe and historically difficult-to-treat diseases, beginning with pulmonary fibrosis and chronic lung transplant dysfunction. The Institute combines deep molecular profiling, longitudinal clinical data, and a pragmatic mix of mechanism-guided and large-scale empirical approaches to accelerate therapeutic discovery and translation.

We pursue an ambitious and pragmatic, modality-agnostic therapeutic strategy spanning genetic medicines, molecular and pharmacologic therapies, cell and immune-based interventions, and engineered biological systems, in close collaboration with leading academic and biotech partners across the U.S. and abroad. The Institute is established as a nonprofit, backed by substantial long-term capital committed directly to the mission. Where strategically valuable, we may pursue mission-aligned for-profit ventures, spin-outs, and partnerships to accelerate therapeutic development and patient impact.

We are a small but rapidly growing team of approximately 20, scaling to 40–50 over the next year across labs and offices in Redwood City, CA and Cambridge, MA, driven by scientific rigor, translational urgency, and a patient-anchored mandate.

We are seeking a Senior Research Associate to join the phenotypic screening team and serve as a hands-on operational anchor for our high-content imaging and functional assay efforts. This role is execution-focused but not narrow: the successful candidate will run multi-step cellular assays at high throughput, troubleshoot and optimize protocols independently, and take ownership of dedicated sub-assays within larger screening campaigns under the guidance of the Senior Scientist. The role is central to delivering reliable, reproducible data that drives our drug discovery programs.

Responsibilities

Cell Culture and Assay Execution

• Maintain mammalian cell lines, primary cells under aseptic conditions, supporting multiple lines in parallel with consistent passage discipline.
• Execute multi-step cell-based assays in 96- and 384-well format, including seeding, compound treatment, fixation, multi-channel immunofluorescence staining, and imaging-ready plate preparation.
• Run multi-step staining protocols at high standard, including two-step surface versus permeabilized staining, antibody titration, ECM substrate coating (laminin, fibronectin, collagen), and parallel-plate workflows.
• Take ownership of one or more sub-assays within a screening campaign, including day-to-day execution, troubleshooting, optimization of protocol details, and reporting of results to the Senior Scientist.

Automation and High-Throughput Operations

• Operate automated liquid handling instruments (Echo acoustic dispensers, Bravo, Hamilton, multidrop dispensers, plate washers, or comparable platforms) for compound dispensing, plate replication, and reagent addition.
• Set up, run, and QC plate-based imaging acquisitions on high-content imaging systems (e.g., ImageXpress, Opera Phenix, or equivalent), and flag plate-level or well-level issues in real time.
• Partner with the laboratory automation team to integrate assays into liquid-handling workflows and contribute to the continuous improvement of throughput and reproducibility.
• Run basic image analysis pipelines (CellProfiler, IN Carta, Columbus, or comparable), perform plate QC, and surface anomalies for investigation.

Documentation and Quality Control

• Maintain meticulous electronic lab notebook entries, plate maps, reagent logs, and QC records to a standard that supports full reproducibility and traceability.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of SOPs for assay execution, instrument operation, and routine QC.
• Track assay performance metrics (signal-to-background, %CV, plate-to-plate variability) and raise issues proactively when trends deviate.

Team Collaboration

• Work closely with the Senior Scientist on assay development, providing hands-on input on protocol feasibility and proposing practical refinements based on bench experience.
• Collaborate with iPSC method development, disease modeling, and computational biology teams to ensure smooth handoffs of cells, samples, and data.
• Communicate experimental progress, results, and issues clearly in team meetings, both verbally and in concise written summaries.
• Help train and onboard junior team members as the screening team grows.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 5–10 years of hands-on industry research experience in a drug discovery, screening, or assay development environment.
• Demonstrated mastery of mammalian cell culture, including parallel handling of multiple cell lines in 96- and 384-well plate formats with documented attention to sterility, passage control, and reproducibility.
• Proven track record running multi-step immunofluorescence or immunohistochemistry staining protocols, including multi-channel panels, surface versus permeabilized workflows, and antibody titration.
• Hands-on experience operating automated liquid handling platforms (such as Echo, Bravo, Hamilton, multidrop dispensers, or plate washers) within an assay workflow.
• Meticulous documentation discipline, including electronic lab notebook proficiency, well-organized plate maps and reagent records, and a habit of full traceability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to summarize experimental results and flag issues clearly.

Preferred

• Hands-on experience operating high-content imaging systems (ImageXpress, Opera Phenix, CellInsight, or comparable), including acquisition setup and routine QC.
• Familiarity with image analysis software (CellProfiler, IN Carta, Columbus, Harmony, or comparable) for running pipelines, plate QC, and basic data review.
• Experience with iPSC-derived or primary epithelial cell culture (airway, alveolar, kidney epithelial, or basal keratinocyte models).
• Familiarity with substrate-dependent assay design and ECM coating procedures (laminin, fibronectin, collagen).
• Experience with cell painting or other multiparametric phenotypic profiling workflows.
• Working knowledge of basic data analysis and visualization tools (Excel, GraphPad Prism, or scripting in Python or R).
• Experience contributing to SOP development, training of junior team members, or assay technology transfer.

Location and Work Environment

This position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with primary work location in the Redwood City laboratory. The role is fully on-site, with daily presence required to support cell culture, assay execution, and instrument operation.

About the Role

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role for someone who takes pride in operational excellence and reproducibility, and who wants their bench work to directly drive drug discovery decisions. The Senior Research Associate will be a core member of the phenotypic screening team and a primary partner to the Senior Scientist in delivering reliable, decision-quality data.