• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $66,300 - $85,000

Position Summary

The Columbia Initiative for Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET) Cell Therapy Correlative Study Specialist will support the translational and clinical research efforts for investigational cell therapy programs. Reporting to the Director of the CICET Translational Laboratory, this role works closely with the CICET Clinical Trials Management and CICET GMP/QC teams as well as external collaborators to support the design, development, and execution of correlative study assays. The Correlative Study Specialist plays a critical role in generating high-quality, reproducible data from patient-derived and healthy donor samples to advance mechanistic understanding of cell therapy products and to support clinical development, biomarker discovery, and translational research objectives.

Responsibilities
The Cell Therapy Correlative Study Specialist is responsible for coordinating, processing, analyzing, and documenting clinical samples collected in company-sponsored and investigator-initiated cell therapy trials. In collaboration with the CICET Translational Laboratory manager, this role supports day-to-day laboratory operations, performs correlative and immune-monitoring assays, maintains laboratory organization and inventory, and interfaces closely with the CICET clinical trial management team to ensure timely, compliant, high-quality translational research outputs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, or related life science discipline

• Basic experience in processing and culturing mammalian primary cells and cell lines

• Hands-on experience in multi-parameter flow cytometry (sample processing, staining, acquisition, and analysis)

• Experience and training in handling human blood, serum, and bone marrow samples

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and data accuracy

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment

• Effective written and verbal communication skills

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and database systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related life science discipline

• Minimum of 1-2 years of relevant laboratory experience supporting correlative studies for cell or gene therapy clinical trials, preferably in immunology-focused research

• Hands-on experience with PCR-based assays and in spectral flow cytometry, including flow sorting

• Hands-on experience in sample preparation for single-cell genomics assays

• Familiarity with immune monitoring, biomarker development, or translational assay workflows

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.