Research Associate I

Gladstone Companies•San Francisco, CA

4d•$58,968 - $67,949•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated, curious, and creative Research Associate I to join our discovery team that is focused on investigating the mechanisms of age-dependent neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation to better understand disease biology and to identify novel therapeutic opportunities for neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD). One key area of research involves modeling neuroinflammation and the role it plays in neurodegeneration by focusing on the role of glia, and especially neuron-microglial interactions, to better understand the mechanistic contributions to disease pathogenesis. We are also interested in the role that protein homeostasis plays in aging and in disease, and a main research focus in the lab is on the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP). This position offers an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research and use high throughput (HTS) and high content (HCS) image-based screening by robotic microscopy and computational approaches including machine learning in glial and neuron cell types derived from human patient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to identify disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets. The candidate will join a dynamic multidisciplinary research team and we wish to find someone with a collaborative and pioneering work ethic and genuine enthusiasm and curiosity to learn. Many of our projects are carried out in collaboration with industry partners to develop new therapeutics based on the targets we identify.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Biology, Biotechnology, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
0-2 years of research experience including basic biology skills and excellent cell culture sterile technique
Experience with cell culture, microscopy, and cellular and molecular biology techniques

Nice To Haves

Experience with immunofluorescence, automated, and confocal microscopy is a plus
Experience with machine learning and deep learning computational approaches to analyze imaging datasets
Familiarity with image processing pipelines, such as Nextflow
Familiarity with Python
Willingness to learn new skills and take on complex new challenges beyond your comfort level with an enterprising “can-do”, creative, curious, and open-minded attitude
Ability to work independently and also collaboratively in a team-oriented setting
Excellent written and interpersonal communication and presentation

Responsibilities

Maintain and differentiate human patient iPSCs to neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and organoids, and carry out cell transfections, nucleofections, or viral transductions and perform cell-based assays using imaging and other approaches.
Perform automated and manual cell-based imaging assays with novel biosensors for cell survival, neuroinflammation, autophagy, lysosome function, protein trafficking, and other cell-based functions.
Perform standard assay techniques such as ELISA, western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy and spectral imaging.
Perform standard molecular biology techniques such as DNA preparation and restriction enzyme digestions, DNA cloning and plasmid construction, gel electrophoresis, and qPCR.
Perform manual curation and statistical analysis of imaging data using basic computational skills (R-analysis, Galaxy pipeline workflow construction, Image J/Fiji) to generate high quality datasets for machine learning or publication.
Exercise basic technical discretion to troubleshoot experiments
Review data, prepare figures and reports, and communicate results to scientists and the general public in team and departmental meetings and conferences.
Participate in collaborative work with multi-disciplinary teams
Maintain and complete documentation of all experimental procedures in written and electronic lab notebooks.
Perform other duties as requested, be a team player, and be a mindful and collaborative lab citizen.