Biologist Engineer (F/M) – Cell Engineering and Automation (F/H)

About Institut Curie

Institut Curie is a leading organisation for research and the fight against cancer. It includes a hospital and a Research Center with more than 1,000 staff members and a strong international community.

The goal of Institut Curie’s Research Center is to develop basic research and use this knowledge to improve cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatments, by bridging basic research and innovation for patients.

Environment and Work Context

Our establishment is part of Université PSL. Located in the heart of Paris, it fosters dialogue across all fields of knowledge, innovation, and creation. Ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide, it trains researchers, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are aware of their social, individual, and collective responsibility, closely aligned with research.

Host Structure

This position is based in the Mammalian Biofoundry at Institut Curie (IC). This platform is a key part of the Paris Biofoundry, a collaborative initiative that aims to speed up synthetic biology in the Île-de-France region. The Mammalian Biofoundry focuses on cell line engineering and phenotyping.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Pascal Hersen (Director of the IC Biofoundry) and in close collaboration with Elaine Del Nery (Head of the BioPhenics platform) and Mathieu Coppey (Head of the Molecular and Cellular Biology facility of UMR168). The candidate will work closely with the three members of the robotics platform (automation of cell culture and transfection), as well as with the two engineers of the UMR168 molecular and cellular biology facility (production of plasmids and working cell lines). This recruitment is part of the ramp-up phase of the activities at Institut Curie.

Missions

Main duties

The main purpose of this role is to set up a high-throughput production activity for stable cell lines, ensuring a smooth pipeline between the DNA Biofoundry (Sorbonne) and the Mammalian Biofoundry (Curie).

The engineer will act as an interface with project teams to understand each project’s needs and translate them into protocols for cell line production.

Main activities include:

Cell engineering and high-throughput production:

• Adapt and optimize culture and transfection conditions for a wide range of mammalian cell lines.
• Design and implement plasmid transfection protocols (lipofection, electroporation) at robotic scale.
• Operate and program robotic liquid-handling systems (Hamilton) and acoustic transfer technologies for transfection and fluid handling.
• Define and apply selection protocols (antibiotic resistance, flow cytometry sorting) and isolate monoclonal clones, then expand them.

Characterisation, imaging and analysis (high-content screening):

• Validate generated clones using confocal cell imaging approaches (high-content screening).
• Characterize produced cell lines by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry to ensure insert stability and functionality.
• Ensure full traceability of the process and analyse data from imaging and quality controls.

Activity management and platform operations

• Be responsible for maintaining, characterising and cryopreserving cell lines.
• Write and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure reproducible high-throughput work.
• Manage stocks of consumables needed for cell culture and follow preventive maintenance of shared equipment (incubators, biosafety cabinets).

Role specifics

• Focus: high-throughput cell engineering and robotic automation (confocal microscopy, robotics) to support complex cell-model development.
• Work environment: frequent collaboration with DNA Biofoundry teams; biosafety level 2 lab; intensive use of Hamilton/acoustic transfer robotics and automated confocal microscopy (ImageXpress.ai).

Candidate Profile

Education and experience

• Required degree level: at least a Master’s degree (or engineering degree) in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• Preferred experience: strong experience (at least 2–3 years) in a research lab or technology platform. Proven experience in generating stable cell lines (from design to validation) is required. Experience with high-throughput screening or automation in biology is a strong plus.

Required skills and qualities

Technical knowledge:

• Strong skills in transfection and cell culture, including creating stable and monoclonal lines (limiting dilution, flow cytometry/FACS sorting).
• Hands-on experience with automated liquid-handling systems is required.
• Skills in molecular biology, confocal microscopy and image analysis are an advantage.
• Good scientific and numerical basics (molarity calculations, concentration normalisation, serial dilutions).

Required abilities:

• Organisation and attention to detail: essential to ensure full traceability of cell banks and to manage several projects in parallel.
• Autonomy: ability to optimise protocols independently and solve technical problems (troubleshooting).
• Team spirit: ability to work in a collaborative multi-site environment (Curie/Sorbonne interface) and report progress clearly.
• Awareness of timelines and quality requirements typical of a service and research-technology platform.

All our opportunities are open to people with disabilities.

Contract Information

• Contract type: Fixed-term contract (CDD)
• Start date: 05/2026
• Contract duration: 18 months
• Working time: Full time – 39 hours/week
• Salary: according to the applicable pay scale
• Benefits: Cafeteria, 70% coverage of the annual public transport pass, company health insurance.
• Location: Paris

Contact

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter with the subject line “POSTE-BIOFOUNDRY”:

zu2gc4ljw65k@emploi.beetween.com

Institut Curie is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to the highest standards of research integrity.