WHAT DOES AN ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST DO?

The Associate Scientist supports the management of biological standards portfolio inventory and scheduling while maintaining communication with stakeholders about material supplies. This role involves reviewing and ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and regulatory compliance of scientific documents, and providing quality control for complex bioanalytical datasets. Additionally, the Associate Scientist is responsible for audit preparedness and verifying that study conduct aligns with protocols and SOPs.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Associate Scientist

1. Associate Scientist Duties

  • Analytical Testing: Support the analytical testing for vaccine development.
  • Assay Development: Develop and execute in vitro functional assays and cell-based functional and phenotypic assays.
  • Project Support: Responsible for supporting discovery stage projects.
  • Sample Analysis: Perform sample analysis from in vivo animal studies or human translational studies.
  • Data Interpretation: Analyze, interpret, and report experimental results in a small group setting.
  • Record Keeping: Maintain detailed records of experimental protocols and data in laboratory notebooks under company policy.
  • Risk Management: Address potential risks and operational issues by identifying, documenting, resolving, and communicating.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with key stakeholders to manage expectations.
  • Team Integration: Work well within diverse/inclusive high-performance teams.
  • Relationship Management: Maintain a strong relationship with operational and functional leadership.

2. Associate Scientist Details

  • Inventory Management: Support the management of biologic standards portfolio inventory and scheduling.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Maintain sustained communication with stakeholders and key partners regarding material supplies.
  • Document Review: Review and edit scientific and technical documents (study plans, reports, and analytical work plans).
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with applicable regulatory guidelines (GLP/GCLP).
  • Feedback Provision: Provide concise and thoughtful feedback to authors promptly.
  • Performance Review: Review documentation of bioanalytical assay performances.
  • Conduct Verification: Verify study conduct was performed as per the written plan/protocol and local SOPs.
  • Quality Communication: Communicate quality findings to responsible staff and confirm the resolution of findings.
  • Data Review: Serve as quality control reviewer of complex bioanalytical datasets generated.
  • Audit Preparedness: Responsible for audit preparedness of study data and reports.

3. Associate Scientist Responsibilities

  • Compliance Management: Work with site quality operations to maintain compliance with global directives and local SOPs.
  • Quality Leadership: Lead quality initiatives within the group related to bioanalytical documentation.
  • Project Management: Manage multiple project commitments under the confines of challenging timelines.
  • Enzymatic Synthesis: Execute enzymatic mRNA synthesis and characterization.
  • Experimental Development: Develop methods and perform experiments to measure mRNA or protein expression via RT-PCR, ELISA, and MSD.
  • Experimental Modification: Conduct, troubleshoot, and modify experiments to reach desired goals.
  • Collaborative Work: Work independently in collaboration with colleagues in support of project goals.
  • Laboratory Maintenance: Maintain general laboratory functionality, including lab equipment maintenance and the ordering and receiving of lab supplies.
  • Molecular Assaying: Perform molecular assays (qPCR, ddPCR) for evaluating copy number and expression.
  • SOP Development: Establish SOPs for maintaining, calibrating, and operating analytical equipment.

4. Associate Scientist Job Summary

  • Flow-Cytometry Assay Execution: Perform multicolor flow-cytometry-based assays for profiling NK and T cell allogeneic cell products.
  • Cell Assay Development and Quality Control: Develop, quality, and perform cell-based assays.
  • Assay Support: Responsible for supporting assay transfer and validation.
  • Instrument Commissioning Participation: Participate and organize activities around the commissioning of the MEC instrument.
  • Research and Development: Perform research and development to expand the capabilities of LCLS.
  • Experimental Planning and Execution: Participate in planning and performing forefront experiments in high energy density laser-plasma science.
  • Collaborative Experiment Execution: Collaborate with other instrument scientists, engineers, and technical staff to execute planned experiments.
  • Research Dissemination: Disseminate research results through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings.
  • RNASeq Operations Execution: Execute day-to-day operations for RNASeq sample preparation.
  • Sample Management and QC: Responsible for sample tracking and QC, library preparation, QC, and sequencing.

5. Associate Scientist Accountabilities

  • Equipment Operation and Maintenance: Responsible for the operation and maintenance of NGS equipment, and tracking of consumables, and supplies.
  • Technical Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot technical problems and participate in the continuing development and optimization of existing and new protocols.
  • Adaptability: Adapts well to changing platform needs in workflow, projects, and other tasks required by the platform.
  • Project Contribution: Contributes to one or more projects in support of Brand Innovation strategies.
  • Scientific Experimentation: Carries out experiments and scientific work under the guidance and mentorship of fellow team members.
  • Procedure Implementation: Implements written procedures and batch documents for methods.
  • Quality Documentation: Produces or executes departmental quality documentation and maintains sample records.
  • EHS Standards Compliance: Operates according to EHS Health, Wellness, and Safety standards while on-site and within the laboratories.
  • Training and Development: Completes all training needs and works with the manager to develop a training plan and achieve training goals.
  • Technology Training: Trains self and others in new technology and laboratory responsibilities.

6. Associate Scientist Functions

  • Record Maintenance: Maintains precise experimental records, and issues reports at project milestones.
  • Intellectual Property: Writes invention records to protect scientific discoveries.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures all work is always conducted following good scientific practices.
  • Cell Line Development: Cell line development work of culturing cells, observing how to perfect different reagents.
  • Assay Performance: Performs assays using appropriate lab techniques for lab groups assigned to.
  • Communication: Communicates with the supervisor and other colleagues.
  • Document Preparation: Prepares and revises technical documents and reports.
  • Training Provision: Provides training on areas of technical expertise and compliance issues.
  • Data Solutions Management: Grows and maintains data solutions knowledge through documentation.
  • Customer Confidence: Achieves and maintains the highest business customer confidence and net promoter score.

7. Associate Scientist Job Description

  • Planning Engagement: Engage with data product owners, business partners, and delivery leads for detailed planning.
  • Requirement Capture: Ensure data business requirements are properly captured and tracked through the lifecycle.
  • Risk Analysis: Analyze and mitigate risks concerning data solution delivery timelines, quality, stability, and performance.
  • Strategy Development: Develop common strategies and governance for data solutions rollout for multiple portfolios/workstreams.
  • Process Implementation: Implement and manage data solutions rollout processes for code.
  • Resource Forecasting: Forecast demand for DEEP Platform resources.
  • Efficiency Identification: Identify opportunities for greater efficiency across environments.
  • Governance Management: Manage governance and compliance for all the data workstreams and manage story lifecycle.
  • UAT Review: Review UAT sign-off by workstream mapping back to stories and release.
  • Proactive Communication: Demonstrate proactive communication with development, support, and delivery teams.
  • Problem Solving: Participate in efforts to identify root causes and deliver solutions.

8. Associate Scientist Overview

  • Single-Cell Platform Enhancement: Assist in the development and enhancement of a multimodal single-cell platform.
  • Single-Cell Technology Management: Responsible for scRNA-seq, CITE-seq, TCR/BCR-seq, and related technologies.
  • Single-Cell Data Analysis: Perform multimodal single-cell studies with data analyses of animal studies and clinical trial samples.
  • Technology Development: Develop molecular and cell biology-based proprietary technologies.
  • Therapeutic Support: Support the therapeutic antibody discovery pipeline.
  • Collaborative Research: Collaborate with a team of experimental and computational researchers.
  • Advanced Technology Deployment: Develop and deploy advanced single-cell and other innovative technologies.
  • Experimental Design: Perform experimental design and troubleshooting methods.
  • Procedure Development: Develop robust procedures and high-quality datasets.
  • Data Analysis and Reporting: Analyze and summarize key datasets and results for internal review.

9. Associate Scientist Details and Accountabilities

  • Experiment Execution: Plan, organize, document, and execute scientific/technical experiments in the lab
  • Instrument Handling: Utilize, qualify, and maintain highly specialized lab instruments and equipment
  • Compliance Adherence: Work according to the highest standards for ethics, health, safety, environment, information security, and quality
  • Result Analysis: Evaluate, document, and interpret results obtained for advanced methods and procedures
  • Documentation: Write protocols, reports, and lab procedures based on templates
  • Problem Solving: Recognize, communicate, and provide solutions for problems
  • Project Contribution: Contribute to the overall success of projects and work collaboratively to resolve issues
  • Team Collaboration: Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to meet shared goals
  • Lab Operations: Perform general laboratory operational duties
  • Procedure Recording: Record and document procedures and results

10. Associate Scientist Tasks

  • Library Prep and Quantification: Assist in library preparation, quantitative PCR, and nucleic acid quantification.
  • Lab Analysis: Hands-on work in the laboratory followed by analysis and documentation of results.
  • Equipment Operation: Operate state-of-the-art equipment including Illumina sequencers and liquid-handling robotics.
  • PCR and Safety Protocols: Work in Pre-PCR, Post-PCR, and Biosafety Level 2 laboratory environments.
  • Experiment Management: Work with and report to scientists to plan, conduct, analyze, and report experiments.
  • Results Communication: Communicate and present results to local and global project teams.
  • Scientific Collaboration: Collaborate with other scientists including bioinformaticians, chemists, and protein engineers.
  • IVD Development Compliance: Meet the requirements of IVD product development and work in a laboratory certified to ISO13485.
  • Mentorship and Development: Mentor junior QC personnel and identify opportunities for professional development in line with individual strengths.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Assure compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
Relevant Information
What Does An Analytical Scientist Do?
What Does An Application Scientist Do?
What Does A Bioinformatics Scientist Do?