Principle Research Associate, Research & Innovation

At Genmab, we are dedicated to building extra[not]ordinary® futures, together, by developing antibody products and groundbreaking, knock-your-socks-off KYSO antibody medicines® that change lives and the future of cancer treatment and serious diseases. We strive to create, champion and maintain a global workplace where individuals’ unique contributions are valued and drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our patients, care partners, families and employees.

Our people are compassionate, candid, and purposeful, and our business is innovative and rooted in science. We believe that being proudly authentic and determined to be our best is essential to fulfilling our purpose. Yes, our work is incredibly serious and impactful, but we have big ambitions, bring a ton of care to pursuing them, and have a lot of fun while doing so.

Does this inspire you and feel like a fit? Then we would love to have you join us!

Genmab is seeking a highly motivated Principal Research Associate to join the Clinical Genomics laboratory within the Bioanalytical and Biomarker Science (BBS) organization in Princeton, NJ. Clinical Genomics partners closely with Pathology, Translational Medicine, Clinical Operations, and Data Science to generate high quality tissue and liquid biopsy genomic datasets that answer time sensitive translational questions across Genmab clinical trials. This is a lab facing role for someone who enjoys hands on execution, troubleshooting, and scaling robust workflows for clinical samples.

Role and Responsibilities
This is a hands-on, lab facing Principal Research Associate role responsible for delivering clinical sequencing workflows from start to finish across FFPE tumor RNA sequencing and gene expression profiling, tumor DNA sequencing including WES, and plasma based ctDNA. You will own day to day bench execution and the operational discipline needed to run these assays reliably at scale for clinical trials. The work includes receiving and processing clinical specimens with strong chain of custody, performing nucleic acid extractions, quantification, and QC, preparing libraries using clinically appropriate methods for FFPE and cfDNA, and running Illumina sequencers with full ownership of run setup, indexing strategy, pooling, sample sheet accuracy, and run monitoring. You will make clear QC decisions using defined acceptance criteria, apply practical troubleshooting and rescue approaches for low input or degraded clinical material when appropriate, and drive root cause investigations when performance drifts across batches or studies.

You will maintain rigorous documentation in LIMS and ELN, author and maintain SOPs, batch records, checklists, and contribute to assay validation, periodic quality assessments, and continuous improvement. A key expectation is improving throughput and consistency through automation or semi automation of extraction and library preparation using platforms such as KingFisher, Beckman, Hamilton, Tecan, or equivalents. You will coordinate closely with Pathology on slide planning and tissue constraints, with Clinical Operations on sample tracking and timelines, and with bioinformatics and data science partners to ensure clean data handoff, metadata integrity, and timely delivery of datasets that can be reused across the organization for multiple translational questions.

Qualifications

BS or MS in molecular biology, genetics, genomics, biochemistry, or a related field. Title and compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Strong fit for this Principal level role typically includes 5 plus years of hands on NGS laboratory experience with demonstrated ownership of workflows end to end and a track record of troubleshooting and stabilizing production assays.

Required experience and technical skills

• Strong hands-on experience running Illumina sequencing workflows end to end on platforms such as NextSeq, NovaSeq, or NovaSeq X, including library QC, pooling strategy, loading, run setup, run monitoring, and troubleshooting.

• Demonstrated experience with clinical sample types, ideally including FFPE tissue and plasma, and the ability to make sound QC decisions under real world sample constraints.

• Hands-on experience in at least two of the following areas, with willingness to support all three as needed.

• FFPE RNA sequencing or gene expression profiling, including low input and degraded RNA handling.

• Tumor DNA sequencing including WES or hybrid capture panels, ideally from FFPE
  Plasma ctDNA workflows including cfDNA extraction and hybrid capture library preparation such as TSO500 ctDNA or equivalent assays.

• Strong molecular biology fundamentals including nucleic acid extraction, PCR or qPCR-based quantification where applicable, and instrument-based QC using Tape Station or Bioanalyzer, Qubit, Nanodrop, Fragment Analyzer, or similar tools.

• Experience with lab automation or semi automation for extraction and or library preparation using platforms such as Kingfisher, Beckman, Hamilton, Tecan, or equivalents.

• Comfort interpreting run level QC metrics and coordinating effectively with bioinformatics partners for rapid issue triage and clean data delivery.

• Strong documentation practices and experience operating in GLP, GCP, or CAP aligned environments are strongly preferred.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate clearly with cross functional partners and external collaborators.

Nice to have

• Experience writing SOPs, training junior staff, and serving as a hands-on technical lead.

• Experience with assay validation, method transfer, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Exposure to additional omics platforms such as single cell, spatial, methylation, or proteomics is a plus but not required.

For US based candidates, the proposed salary band for this position is as follows:

The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Also, certain positions are eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as discretionary bonuses and long-term incentives. 

When you join Genmab, you’re joining a culture that supports your physical, financial, social, and emotional wellness. Within the first year, regular full-time U.S. employees are eligible for:

• 401(k) Plan: 100% match on the first 6% of contributions

• Health Benefits: Two medical plan options (including HDHP with HSA), dental, and vision insurance

• Voluntary Plans: Critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance

• Time Off: Paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, and 12 weeks of discretionary paid parental leave

• Support Resources: Access to child and adult backup care, family support programs, financial wellness tools, and emotional well-being support

• Additional Perks: Commuter benefits, tuition reimbursement, and a Lifestyle Spending Account for wellness and personal expenses 

About You

• You are genuinely passionate about our purpose

• You bring precision and excellence to all that you do

• You believe in our rooted-in-science approach to problem-solving

• You are a generous collaborator who can work in teams with a broad spectrum of backgrounds

• You take pride in enabling the best work of others on the team

• You can grapple with the unknown and be innovative

• You have experience working in a fast-growing, dynamic company (or a strong desire to)

• You work hard and are not afraid to have a little fun while you do so!

Locations

Genmab maximizes the efficiency of an agile working environment, when possible, for the betterment of employee work-life balance. Our offices are crafted as open, community-based spaces that work to connect employees while being immersed in our powerful laboratories. Whether you’re in one of our office spaces or working remotely, we thrive on connecting with each other to innovate.

About Genmab

Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core purpose to improve the lives of patients through innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics. For 25 years, its hard-working, innovative and collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology platforms and harnessed translational, quantitative and data sciences, resulting in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific T-cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, next-generation immune checkpoint modulators and effector function-enhanced antibodies. By 2030, Genmab’s vision is to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases with Knock-Your-Socks-Off (KYSO®) antibody medicines.

Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark with international presence across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit Genmab.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

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Please note that if you are applying for a position in the Netherlands, Genmab’s policy for all permanently budgeted hires in NL is initially to offer a fixed-term employment contract for a year, if the employee performs well and if the business conditions do not change, renewal for an indefinite term may be considered after the fixed-term employment contract.