Senior Research Associate 1 (Contract)

About You

You are a hands-on scientist with experience supporting medicinal chemists with their purification and analytical needs in a drug-discovery environment. You have a fundamental understanding of the principles of chromatography and of how analytical and preparative chromatographic instruments work. You are comfortable running mass-directed purification, particularly on Waters Autopurifier and Agilent mass-directed purification systems, and you can perform routine maintenance and basic troubleshooting to keep instruments running and minimize downtime. You can work with a range of instruments and techniques, such as HPLC-MS, SFC, preparative SFC, and mass-directed purification. You are detail-oriented and organized when managing large sample sets and their associated data, and you are curious to identify inefficiencies in a workflow and suggest practical improvements. You work well both independently and as part of a team.

What You’ll Do

• Perform high-throughput and SFC purification of small molecules to support the medicinal chemistry team at Eikon Therapeutics in Millbrae, CA.
• Run mass-directed purification using Waters Autopurifier and Agilent mass-directed purification systems, including fraction collection based on mass-spectrometry detection.
• Apply and adapt established chromatographic methods for the purification of small molecules, and assist in developing and optimizing new methods.
• Perform routine maintenance and basic troubleshooting of preparative and analytical instruments to keep them in good working condition and minimize downtime.
• Manage large numbers of samples and their associated data accurately, and document procedures, results, and observations to maintain reliable records.
• Compile, analyze, and present purification and analytical data to the team.
• Contribute to team efforts to improve process efficiency and expand the range of purification and analytical applications, from experimental design through implementation.
• Help monitor inventory of consumables and communicate needs for additional supplies or equipment so that work stays on schedule.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 2 years of experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 4 years of related experience, in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience purifying small molecules by reversed-phase HPLC and/or SFC, including fraction collection through mass-spectrometry-based detection.
• Familiarity with mass-directed purification, particularly using Waters Autopurifier and Agilent mass-directed purification systems.
• Fundamental understanding of the principles of chromatography and the working principles of chromatographic instruments, both analytical and preparative.
• Experience working in a high-throughput environment, managing large numbers of samples and the associated data.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills, including routine troubleshooting of instruments and data-management issues.
• Proficiency in designing and performing experiments, followed by data compilation and presentation.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation or instrument-specific software is a plus.

Benefits

• 401k plan with company matching
• Medical (premiums covered by Eikon at 95%), dental and vision insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%)
• Mental health and wellness benefits
• Weeklong summer and winter holiday shutdowns
• Generous paid time off and holiday policies
• Life/AD&D Insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%) and optional supplemental employee-paid life/AD&D policies
• Enhanced parental leave benefit
• Daily subsidized lunch program when on-site

Pay

The expected hourly rate for this role is $48/hour to $58/hour depending on skills, competency, and the market demand for your expertise.