Bioengineering Associate Scientist/Scientist

Alaya.bio is a preclinical-stage biotech company pioneering a new generation of polymeric nanoparticles applied to the rapid and universal in situ manufacturing of CAR T-cells.

Founded in July 2022 and based in Paris and Cambridge, Alaya.bio is backed by industry leaders and investors with long track-records in cell therapy. The potential of our universal in situ CAR T technology has been recognized by the closing of five partnerships with renowned players in the clinical development of these groundbreaking therapies.

As part of our continuous growth, we are looking for a highly enthusiastic and talented Bioengineering Associate Scientist/Scientist who will evolve in the bioproduction team. This role will focus on the execution, optimization and scale-up of the in-house manufacturing of high-quality grade batches of lentivectors used as payloads for our lead nanoparticles.

The position is located in Paris area.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct the internal manufacturing activities (from Upstream to Downstream process units operations) following a rigorous batch protocol and the associated quality and characterization tests for engineered lentiviral vector batches used for in vitro and in vivo functional studies.
• Test, optimize and scale-up downstream process (DSP) units compatible with the industrialization of the bioprocess in agreement with quality by design principles
• Perform a variety of biochemical (ELISA), molecular (RT-qPCR, qPCR) & cellular (transfection and transduction) assays.
• Contribute to the development of appropriate quality controls alongside the optimization of the bioprocess.
• Management of partners and sub-contractors with whom the company has chosen to work with.
• Collect, analyze and report data using appropriate software including electronic lab notebooks.
• Support day-to-day laboratory operations, including reagents and consumables purchasing, maintenance of equipment, management of biological, infectious & care activity, wastes.
• Compliance with regulatory standards and health and safety rules in place in the company.
• Writing of technical documents including SOPs, experimental protocols and study reports.

• Participation in the dissemination of the company's scientific results (scientific articles, communications at international conferences)

Your Profile

• Engineer, MSc or PhD in Bioengineering or Bioproduction/Process development or related fields.
• Proven track-record in the bioproduction of gene and/or cell-based products and the associated quality controls is requested.
• Strong background and technical expertise in the conduction and optimization of DSP process units applied to biomolecules (clarification, chromatography, TFF system, sterile filtration and lyophilization).
• Expertise in the bioproduction of cell-based products in eukaryotic systems (deepwell plates, shaking flasks, bioreactors) at small and medium scale (up to 3 L).
• Hands-on expertise in cell culture, qPCR, RT-qPCR ELISA and biophysical methods.
• Additional knowledge in the improvement of GMP-compatible bioprocess units is a plus.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, and prioritize work on multiple projects.
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is essential, given the international exposure of the company.
• Good command of IT (equipment specific software, Benchling,…) and data analysis tools (GraphPad Prism).