Scientist (Cell & Microbiology)

As a Scientist – Microbiology & Cell Culture, you will play a key role in cultivating, characterizing, and managing biological materials that enable research and development efforts. Microbial and mammalian cell culture systems are essential to the development of innovative molecular diagnostic solutions. You will be responsible for the acquisition, characterization, production, and lifecycle management of biological materials used throughout the product development lifecycle. The Scientist will facilitate the daily operations associated with fulfilling service requests for Culture Collection and panel activities, while providing best-in-class simple biological solutions to our customers to drive innovation.

This is a 12-month contract based in Pleasanton, California

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute laboratory activities with a high degree of independence, applying scientific knowledge to support Culture Collection and panel production initiatives.
• Under minimal supervision, executes assigned project activities using established procedures and applying scientific knowledge and accumulated experience to complete projects involving manipulating human cell lines, microorganism and/or other biological material.
• Perform nucleic acid extraction (DNA/RNA/Plasmid), quantification and standard recombinant cloning techniques.
• Grow bacterial cultures under sterile conditions to ensure successful transformation and plasmid propagation.
• Generate, characterize, and manage biological materials that support assay development, clinical studies, and product development activities.
• Analyze experimental data, troubleshoot technical challenges, and recommend solutions to support project objectives.
• Lead small to moderate complexity projects by coordinating activities, managing timelines, and communicating progress with stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate electronic laboratory records within validated systems, including LIMS and electronic laboratory notebooks (eLN), ensuring compliance with quality and regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to scientific reports, technical documentation, presentations, and knowledge transfer activities across cross-functional teams.
• Support laboratory operations through equipment maintenance, inventory management, biosafety compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Perform all work in accordance with established safety, quality, and regulatory requirements, including OSHA, ISO, and QSR standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, or a related scientific discipline with 4+ years of relevant industry experience, or a Master's degree with 2+ years of relevant experience.
• You enjoy hands-on laboratory work and have experience performing microbiological techniques, mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, and aseptic laboratory practices.
• You are comfortable working with diverse biological materials, including microorganisms, mammalian cell lines, and human-derived specimens in a BSL-2 laboratory environment.
• May work a variety of infectious human material (HxV, pathogenic bacteria, or engineered material, etc) and sample types (blood, serum, urine, stool etc).
• You are familiar with bacterial enumeration, MPN methods, MALDI-TOF identification, microbial taxonomy, and characterization techniques.
• You take pride in maintaining high-quality laboratory documentation and understand the importance of data integrity, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), and validated laboratory systems such as LIMS and electronic laboratory notebooks (eLN).
• You enjoy independently planning laboratory work, managing multiple priorities, and solving scientific and technical challenges.
• You are comfortable performing routine laboratory activities including plating, pipetting, labeling, stocking, and vialing biological materials.
• You thrive in collaborative, cross-functional environments and enjoy partnering with diverse stakeholders to achieve shared scientific goals.
• You are committed to continuous learning, scientific excellence, and supporting process improvements that enhance laboratory efficiency and quality.
• Preferred Experience
• Experience with automated laboratory workflows or high-throughput systems.
• Experience supporting platform or assay development.
• Project management experience, including coordinating timelines and stakeholder communications.
• Client-facing or customer support experience.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working effectively within a global, matrixed organization.

Salary

• $93,600-$114,400

Why Choose R&D Partners?

As an employee, you have access to a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical insurance – PPO, HMO & HSA
• Dental & Vision insurance
• 401k plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Long-term disability
• Weekly payroll
• Expense reimbursement
• Online timecard approval

R&D Partners is a global functional service provider and strategic staffing resource specializing in scientific, clinical research & engineering. We provide job opportunities within major pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.

R&D Partners is an equal-opportunity employer.