Research Associate - Chemistry

Exthymic is an early-stage deep-tech startup on a mission to prevent millions of cancer deaths by making curative cell therapies widely accessible. Our platform enables the manufacturing of patient-specific treatments at the point of care. Led by experienced industry pioneers, we blend hardware, software, and biochemical engineering to disrupt the status quo and democratize life-saving therapies. Join us to solve complex challenges and drive global healthcare innovation. About You You are a bench-first chemist with a solid grounding in polymer synthesis and surface chemistry and a desire to apply those skills to problems that matter in medicine. You are comfortable working through incomplete protocols, troubleshooting unexpected results, and iterating quickly in a small-team environment where your work directly enables novel technologies. You have hands-on experience synthesizing and characterizing functional polymers, an eye for rigorous documentation, and familiarity with surface functionalization and bioconjugation chemistry. Key Responsibilities Synthesize and iterate on functional surface polymers — Execute bench-scale synthesis of polymers with tunable functional group compositions. Iterate on monomer ratios, reaction conditions, and post-synthesis modifications to meet performance specifications, including functional group density, hydrophilicity, and batch-to-batch consistency. Characterize polymers — Use NMR, FTIR, and GPC to profile polymer structure, molecular weight, and dispersity. Track and report key metrics including batch-to-batch coefficient of variance against defined acceptance criteria. Maintain rigorous experimental records and SOPs — Keep accurate lab notebooks and electronic records. Contribute to drafting and revising SOPs as protocols mature. Flag deviations and out-of-spec results promptly and participate in root cause investigations. Support broader chemistry and materials R&D efforts — Assist senior scientists with reagent preparation, equipment maintenance, and ad hoc characterization tasks as project priorities evolve. Contribute to internal technical summaries and team reviews on a regular cadence. Qualifications Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline. Hands-on laboratory experience in polymer synthesis (internship, co-op, or full-time). Working knowledge of polymer characterization techniques such as: NMR, FTIR, GPC, or equivalent. Experience with various polymerization methodologies is a plus at this level but not required. Demonstrated attention to detail in experimental design, data collection, and lab notebook documentation. Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, early-stage environment with evolving requirements and limited precedent. Team player who is collaborative, transparent, and mission-driven. Preferred Qualifications Experience with bioconjugation or self-assembled monolayer chemistry. Familiarity with a range of bioconjugation strategies, including click chemistry approaches. Experience working in a GMP, GLP, or ISO-regulated laboratory environment. Comfort with basic data analysis tools such as Mnova, Excel, Python, or JMP for processing characterization data and structure-drawing tools such as ChemDraw. Prior experience in an early-stage startup or academic research lab where you owned experiments end-to-end. Interest in cell therapy, biomedical device development, or biomanufacturing is a strong plus. Competitive salary and benefits package, including Medical, Dental, Vision, and 401k match. Salary Range: $65,000 - $85,000, commensurate with experience Benefits: We offer our employees comprehensive benefits, including medical, vision, and dental coverage, as well as retirement savings plans. Optional benefits include accident and term life offerings. Equal Employment Opportunity: Exthymic Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age (40 and over), disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, reproductive health decision-making, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws and will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Agencies: We work directly with candidates and do not accept unsolicited resumes or referrals from recruitment agencies, search firms, or staffing companies. Any resumes submitted by an agency without a signed agreement in place will be considered the property of Exthymic and no fee will be owed. If you are interested in partnering with us on a future search, please contact our HR team directly.