Research Associate, Vienna
About the role
Roll up your sleeves in a hands-on research role focused on deriving iPSC lines, organoid development, and assay-driven data generation to advance Parallel Bio’s human-first drug discovery platform.
Responsibilities
- Derive iPSC lines from donor blood, from cell isolation through colony picking, clonal expansion and cryopreservation.
- Interpret cell line quality control data and determine passed or failed samples using internationally recognized acceptance criteria.
- Understand and reduce the sources of variation that affect iPSC-generation success and quality as the biobank expands.
- Maintain iPSC and primary cultures to a consistent standard.
- Differentiate iPSCs towards immune organoids using in-house protocols.
- Run iterative optimisation cycles: change conditions, measure effects, keep what works.
- Improve organoid longevity, reproducibility and functional performance against the intended phenotype.
- Design, validate and run readouts that show organoid functionality: flow cytometry panels, qPCR, immunofluorescence and imaging, ELISA and Luminex.
- Prepare samples for external sequencing (bulk RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, whole exome) and manage submissions and turnaround with providers.
- Willingness to perform routine tasks (e.g., equipment maintenance) to ensure laboratory operations.
- Interpret data, including flow analysis, and present conclusions, not just raw data.
- Document in the electronic lab notebook and write up Work Instructions and SOPs, keeping them current as processes evolve.
- Collaborate with the US team on platform comparison and share expertise with colleagues as the team grows.
- Share knowledge with junior researchers and present findings in internal meetings, challenging conclusions when needed.
- Flag data limitations and report ambiguous results with the same care as clear results.
- Hold a MSc in molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, bioengineering or related field; preference for aseptic human pluripotent stem cell culture (iPSC/ESC) or at least one year of tissue culture experience.
- Hands-on experience with flow cytometry, (q)PCR and ELISA; experience with reprogramming, clonal derivation, karyotyping/genotyping, or cryopreservation at scale is advantageous.
- 3D culture, organoid or spheroid experience is advantageous; immunology/lymphocyte biology knowledge is a plus.
- Experience preparing samples for NGS is welcome.
- Strong organizational discipline, attention to detail, and familiarity with electronic lab notebooks or LIMS for sample traceability.
- Team player, capable of working across disciplines; excellent English; German is nice to have.
- This role requires weekend work on a rotating basis to maintain cell cultures and ensure experimental continuity.
Qualifications
- MSc in molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, bioengineering or a related field
- Strong preference for aseptic human pluripotent stem cell culture (iPSC or ESC) or at least one year of tissue culture experience with excellent aseptic technique
- Hands-on experience with flow cytometry, (q)PCR and ELISA
- Experience with reprogramming, clonal derivation, karyotyping or genotyping, or cryopreservation at scale is an advantage
- 3D culture, organoid or spheroid experience is a clear advantage
- Immunology knowledge, particularly lymphocyte biology, is a strong plus
- Experience preparing samples for NGS is welcome
Skills
Benefits
- Flexible work arrangements may be possible to support work-life balance
- Minimum base salary of €40,000 annually for full-time engagement
- Equal opportunity employer statement
- Weekend work on rotating basis to maintain cell cultures
About Parallel Bio
Using the immune system to cure disease
Parallel Bio created a human 'immune system in a dish' to discover drugs and immunotherapies more likely to work in patients. Our platform has all of the same elements as a human immune system, meaning you can test drugs and vaccines as if you were testing them in actual patients from the start. The biggest reason why 95% of new drugs fail is that they were tested in mice - but with our human platform, pharma companies will know which drugs will successfully treat patients, speeding up the process and reducing the cost. To date our platform has successfully been used to test 12 drugs, and vaccines against 8 different diseases. The company is founded by Robert DiFazio, a former Stanford R&D director with a PhD in immunology, and Juliana Hilliard, a former System1 Biosciences R&D lead with an MSc in bioengineering, both of whom have led drug discovery programs for years.
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