Research Assistant I- iPSC & Neuromuscular Disease Research

Position Summary/ Department Summary:We offer an opportunity to support cutting-edge neuromuscular disease research in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Engle at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School (http://kirbyneuro.org/EngleLab/). Our work uses human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), spinal cord organoids, skeletal muscle, and functional neuromuscular junction (NMJ) models to study spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and therapeutic strategies that restore motor neuron–muscle connectivity. This position is ideal for a self-motivated and detail-oriented individual interested in developing a broad skill set in stem cell culture, organoid differentiation, microscopy, functional imaging, molecular biology, single-cell profiling, and drug screening. The successful candidate will join the Eagles Lab as a Laboratory Research Assistant I, working under the supervision of Dr. Kuchuan Chen. Evenings and weekend hours will occasionally be required for cell culture experiments. This position is looking for someone to start ASAP. Key Responsibilities:Human iPSC culture, expansion, cryopreservation, and routine quality controlDifferentiation of iPSCs into spinal cord organoids and skeletal myogenic progenitorsEstablishment and maintenance of human neuromuscular junction (NMJ) cultures and assembloidsPreparation and execution of functional NMJ drug screens and hit-validation experimentsMicroscopy and live-cell functional imaging (i.e. fluorescence, confocal, GCaMP calcium imaging)Cryosectioning, immunofluorescence staining, and quantitative image analysisRNA purification, cDNA preparation, and quantitative PCR (qPCR)Cell/nuclei dissociation, fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), and sample preparation for single-cell/single-nucleus profilingBasic mouse work, including genotyping, tissue collection, and tissue processingPreparation of media and reagents, maintenance of research equipment, and other routine lab tasksMaintaining detailed records of experiments, cell lines, and analyses in lab notebooks and databasesParticipation in weekly group meetings (including presenting research progress at lab meetings)Minimum QualificationsEducation:A bachelor's degree in STEM or Psychology is required for the role.Preference for a degree in Biology, Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or a related field.Experience:Experience with human iPSC/stem cell culture, neuron or muscle differentiation, or organoid cultureFamiliarity with motor neuron, skeletal muscle, or other mammalian cell culture systemsFamiliarity with immunostaining, cryosectioning, fluorescence/confocal microscopy, or live-cell imagingExperience with qPCR/RNA purification, FACS/flow cytometry, high-throughput assays, or mouse models are pluses, but not requiredHands-on experience in sterile cell culture techniques, basic wet bench skills, and operating standard lab equipmentAbility to maintain and manage complex cell-culture workflows, including careful, reproducible aseptic technique and pipetting