Research Associate (San Diego)

Research Associate I–II, Bioprocess Development

Location: San Diego, CA

Work Arrangement: Fully onsite, five days per week

Employment Type: Contract, 6-12 months

Compensation: To be determined

BioPhase is seeking a hands-on Research Associate I-II, Bioprocess Development for an innovative biotechnology and industrial chemistry company in San Diego. This is an excellent opportunity for an associate-level scientist who enjoys owning experiments, generating high-quality data, solving problems at the bench, and helping translate early-stage methods into scalable, repeatable bioprocess workflows.

In this role, you will design, execute, analyze, and document cultivation and fermentation experiments across 96-well plate and shake-flask platforms, with occasional exposure to benchtop bioreactors. You will support media development, growth and productivity studies, condition screening, method optimization, and laboratory operations in a fast-moving, highly collaborative startup environment.

What You’ll Do

• Design, execute, document, analyze, and present cultivation and fermentation experiments across multiple platforms, including 96-well plates and shake flasks.
• Support occasional cultivation experiments using benchtop bioreactors.
• Conduct optimization studies, including media development, growth studies, productivity studies, and experimental condition screens.
• Independently troubleshoot experiments and help identify practical solutions when results do not meet expectations.
• Prepare, sterilize, optimize, and maintain growth media, buffers, reagents, and laboratory consumables.
• Perform routine analytics and sample handling to support cultivation experiments, including optical density measurements, growth monitoring, sampling, sample preparation, and sample submission.
• Develop, refine, and follow standard operating procedures for new and existing laboratory workflows.
• Maintain thorough, accurate, and reproducible experimental documentation.
• Clearly communicate experimental findings, observations, and data-driven insights to scientists, engineers, and cross-functional collaborators.
• Help maintain laboratory organization, equipment readiness, inventory levels, and a safe, compliant work environment.
• Uphold laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, and responsible research practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• At least 2 years of relevant laboratory, academic, industrial, or startup experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with cell culture, fermentation, microbial systems, or related bioprocessing workflows.
• Experience independently planning, executing, and troubleshooting optimization experiments, such as media development, growth studies, or cultivation-condition screening.
• Working knowledge of aseptic technique, media and buffer preparation, and routine laboratory analytics.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, documentation, and reproducible laboratory execution.
• Ability to communicate experimental results and technical insights clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work fully onsite in San Diego, Monday through Friday, in a fast-paced and collaborative startup setting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-throughput cultivation platforms, microtiter plate cultivation, or 96-well plate-based experimental workflows.
• Experience with benchtop bioreactors, fermentation systems, or a demonstrated interest in developing bioreactor expertise.
• Experience using data-analysis tools such as Python, R, JMP, Excel, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with electronic laboratory notebooks, LIMS, laboratory inventory systems, or structured data-management tools.
• Experience working in a biotechnology, synthetic biology, industrial microbiology, fermentation, bioprocess development, or startup laboratory environment.