Scientist / Principal Research Associate, Beta Islet
Sana Biotechnology
About the role
Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. You will join the Beta Islet Team at the Cambridge location to perform and execute routine stem cell (SC)-islets differentiation. As a member of the team, you will perform experiments critical to the program’s product development. The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in large-scale, directed iPSC differentiation and hands-on operation of closed-system and bioreactor platforms. This role will work closely with both R&D and PD teams, with a primary focus in R&D to drive innovation, establish a robust differentiation workflow, and generate data to support translation to a clinical manufacturing process. The ability to work in a highly collaborative environment and learn from each other will be essential to your success. The position reports to the Senior Scientist of the Beta Islet Team.
What you’ll do
- Lab-based role focused on culture and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells
- Perform and optimize iPSC culture, expansion in both 2D and 3D platforms
- Operate and optimize closed and automated bioreactor systems under aseptic and GMP-aligned conditions
- Collaborate with PD team to enable scale-up and technology transfer
- Experience bridging between R&D and PD is a plus
- Analysis of differentiated cell product – flow cytometry, PCR, fluorescent microscopy
- Participate in design and execution of experiments critical for SC-451 product development
- Document experiments, analyze data, and prepare summaries
- Maintain excellent scientific documentation and contribute to SOP development
- Assuring compliance with all relevant lab safety and biosafety regulations
- Demonstrate Sana’s core values and the attributes that support these core values (Lead from every seat, Thrive as a team, Make it happen)
What we’re looking for
- PhD MSc or BSc in Stem cell biology, biomedical Engineering or related fields with 1-2 years (PhD) 5+ years (MSc) or 7+ years (BSc) of direct cell therapy industry experience
- Expertise in iPSC culture and directed differentiation, preferably toward pancreatic islet lineages
- Experienced in handling large-scale directed differentiations
- Proficiency in aseptic techniques and single-use or closed-system workflows.
- Proficient with standard flow cytometry and imaging software (e.g. FACS, Diva, FlowJo, ImageJ, Prism, etc.)
What will separate you from the crowd
- Hands-on experience with closed systems (tube welder, sealer, single-use assemblies)
- Expertise in controlled bioreactor setup, operation, automation, and process control (DO, pH, perfusion, agitation)
- Knowledge or direct experience in directed stem cell differentiation toward pancreatic islet lineage
- Proven ability to optimize differentiation yield and reproducibility across platforms
- Passion for GMP transition, automation, and continuous process improvement
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and enthusiasm for advancing cell therapies to the clinic
What you should know
- The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $05,000 and $145,000 annually; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience
How we work together for patients
- Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
- Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
- Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution
Get to know us
At Sana, we believe that a workforce with varied backgrounds strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.
Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover a generous portion of the cost for employee health coverage, making high-quality care more accessible and affordable. We offer ample time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually. For more details on our benefits, visit Sana’s Benefits Portal.
We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.