Join Our Team

Cell Therapy, Cell Line Generation Co-Op

Cambridge, MA

Our Opportunity…

We are looking for a scientifically curious, flexible, collaborative, and dynamic Co-Op to join the Cell Therapy Department as a key contributor to preclinical research efforts for our pipeline of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies.  You’ll be a vital part of a highly collaborative team working to achieve Obsidian’s vision by translating innovative science into medical breakthroughs for patients, starting with our lead program cytoTIL15 engineered to make TILs more effective for more patients.

This opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Biochemical Engineering and is based in our Cambridge office.  You will receive a tremendous amount of support, guidance, and mentorship as a Co-Op at Obsidian and can take advantage of some great perks such as free lunch, commuter benefits, and excellent career development opportunities (details below).

This is a unique opportunity to be a contributor in a well-funded clinical company with blue chip investors, field-leading advisors, best-in-class partners (BMS and Vertex), and an experienced team. You'll help us build a dynamic, innovative, passionate, collaborative, and successful organization focused on delivering transformative therapies in areas of greatest clinical need. 

You Will…

• Make intellectual and technical contributions to projects, while working on a collaborative team.
• Support designing of experiments, meticulously execute bench work, analyze data, and troubleshoot assays.
• Support patient derived cancer cell line (PDc) and patient derived organoid (PDO) generation from multiple tumor indications for use in in vitro and in vivo functional assessments of TIL therapies.
• Support the Cell Therapy research team in isolating, banking, and characterizing primary tumor and immune cells.  Methods could include flow cytometry, immunofluorescence microscopy, cell preparation for gene sequencing and expression analysis, TIL expansion, cell engineering, and functional analysis.
• Track and replenish critical cell stocks.
• Present results at internal meetings.

You Bring…

Core Qualifications

• Working towards the completion of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical/Biochemical Engineering or related field.
• High level of motivation and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Adaptability, scientific curiosity, and desire to learn new skills.
• Experience with tissue culture and maintaining stocks of mammalian cell lines.
• Excellent organizational skills as applied to maintaining a cell bank and inventory of tissue samples.
• Attention to detail as applied to record-keeping.
• Authorized to work in the US during the Co-Op term of employment.

Bonus Qualifications

• Previous Co-Op experience is preferred
• Experience with Electronic Notebook (ELN)
• Experience with flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining
• Experience with patient derived cell line/organoid culture
• Coursework or experience in oncology or immunology

Why Join Obsidian…

We’re proud of our diverse talented team and committed to cultivating an environment where each person feels a strong sense of belonging and is supported to continuously learn and contribute their best work. Join us to make a positive impact on patients, grow your career, and work with a great team.

As a Co-Op at Obsidian, you will build upon the skills that you’ve obtained through your studies and obtain hands on experience that will help position you for future full-time opportunities in the industry. You will gain exposure to the biotechnology industry and learn how to be effective in a professional setting. You will work closely with a highly collaborative and welcoming team working to advance Obsidian’s mission.

You will receive a tremendous amount of support, guidance, and mentorship.  Not only will you have a dedicated mentor, but you will also have regular interaction with members of the Cell Therapy team working on other projects.  Past Co-Ops have expressed their gratitude in finding Obsidian to be a welcoming environment that encourages questions and exploration.

Our Co-Ops receive a market competitive hourly rate and are able to take advantage of Obsidian’s Commuter Benefits to assist with commuting costs. And who doesn’t love a free lunch? Lunch selections are available from a variety of surrounding restaurants and is delivered daily in both our Cambridge and Bedford locations! Having lunch delivered allows us to gather together and build personal connections. We have a variety of fun social networking opportunities available through our Social Committee including activities like team building activities at Level 99, kayaking outings, fitness challenges, food festivals, after work get-togethers and other events.

We also build in career networking opportunities throughout your Co-Op experience so that you can explore your career interests.  You will have the opportunity to meet team members from cross-functional groups and learn about various functions that contribute to drug development.  We offer opportunities to chat with Scientists about their career paths.  You will also receive guidance on resume writing, how to use LinkedIn effectively, and job search coaching.

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