Project Overview

The team is seeking a postdoctoral associate in the area of Human induced pluripotent stem cells for cell therapy applications. Under the co-supervision of Prof. Jongyoon HAN (MIT / SMART) and Prof. Sing Yian CHEW (NTU), the successful candidate will join our dynamic team focused on hiPSC (human induced pluripotent stem cell) expansion and differentiation for cell therapy applications. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research aimed at developing novel cell therapies using hiPSCs.  Join the exciting field of hiPSC cell therapy manufacturing and our goal of making a meaningful impact on the advancement of regenerative medicine.

Job Description

Lead and coordinate hiPSC cell production, maintaining strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) including characterization of multiple cell lines with a focus on identifying novel attributes for cell efficacy, safety, and manufacturability toward good lab or manufacturing practice (GLP or GMP) conditions

Conduct thorough quality control assessments including cell line characterization including how biological traits and biophysical characteristics for a desired application/functional phenotype can predict a positive therapeutic outcome.

Optimize scale-up of hiPSC production processes to ensure consistent and robust quality across cell lines.

Design and execute experiments to differentiate hiPSCs into specific cell lineages (e.g., neuronal progenitors, retinal pigment epithelium) for cell therapy applications, following established protocols and utilizing innovative techniques.

Conduct thorough characterization and quality control assessments of hiPSCs and the differentiated cells, including functional assays, gene expression analysis, and immunocytochemistry.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement process improvements and troubleshoot issues.

Interface with a diverse array of CAMP teammates and the larger Singapore cell manufacturing community, ranging from engineers to clinicians to GMP manufacturers and companies. Participate in technology transfer activities to facilitate the transfer of hiPSC manufacturing processes to external partners or production facilities, as required.

Job Requirements

A Ph.D. in a relevant scientific field (e.g., stem cell biology, biotechnology, cell process engineering or a related discipline) with a good track record of publication and productivity.

Strong background and hands-on experience in hiPSC culture, differentiation, and characterization techniques is required.

Expertise in molecular biology techniques, such as gene editing (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9), PCR, cloning, and gene expression analysis is highly desirable.

An understanding of cGMP/GLP guidelines and quality control standards in the context of cell manufacturing as well as experience in optimizing and scaling up cell culture processes is desirable but not required.

The candidate will also possess excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to maintain accurate and detailed records. Strong communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams is critical to our mission.

This will be a contract full-time position until 31 May 2024. 

Interested applicants are invited to send in their full CV/resume, cover letter and list of three references (to include reference names and contact information). We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.