Scientist - Tech Transfer

1w1 week ago

Twist Bioscience

Portland, US · Full-time · $115,000 – $155,000

About this role

We are seeking a Scientist to join our Tech Transfer team, focused on advancing and scaling synthetic biology workflows across DNA-based and mammalian cell culture systems. This role sits at the interface of R&D and production, driving the successful transfer of new products and processes into high-throughput manufacturing environments.

You will develop, optimize, and troubleshoot workflows spanning molecular biology and mammalian cell culture systems, ensuring processes are robust, scalable, and production-ready. This includes hands-on experimental work, cross-functional collaboration, and enabling operational teams through training, technical guidance, and documentation.

This highly collaborative role partners with teams across operations, automation engineering, and bioinformatics to translate innovation into reliable production processes. A key component is designing processes with automation in mind for deployment across diverse liquid handling platforms to support scalable manufacturing.

We seek someone combining strong experimental rigor with practical problem-solving, comfortable at the bench and thinking strategically about process improvement. Experience across DNA technologies like NGS and cloning, plus mammalian cell culture and protein expression systems, is highly valued in this fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Requirements

PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related field; or Master’s with 2–5+ years of industry experience; or Bachelor’s with 5+ years of relevant experience
Strong foundation in molecular biology techniques, including DNA/RNA purification, PCR/qPCR, and molecular cloning
Hands-on experience developing and optimizing mammalian cell culture systems for protein expression (e.g., HEK, CHO)
Experience designing expression constructs and optimizing systems for yield, solubility, and activity across host platforms
Proven ability to develop and optimize upstream and downstream workflows, including transfection and protein purification strategies
Demonstrated experience in experimental design and process optimization for scalable manufacturing

Responsibilities

Design and execute experiments to develop, optimize, and scale production workflows for synthetic biology products, including DNA and mammalian cell-based protein expression systems
Drive process improvements by analyzing complex datasets and translating findings into actionable changes across workflows
Lead technical transfer of new products and processes into production, ensuring robustness, reproducibility, and scalability
Author and maintain technical documentation, including SOPs, validation protocols, and training materials to support manufacturing teams
Act as a technical subject matter expert, representing R&D/PD in cross-functional meetings and contributing to project strategy and decision-making
Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, automation, and bioinformatics teams to troubleshoot issues and implement solutions
Apply scientific literature and domain expertise to inform experimental design, process development, and strategic direction
Mentor and train team members and operators on newly developed processes and workflows