Scientist, DNA Delivery

Cultivarium•London, England

52d•Onsite

About The Position

Cultivarium builds scientific tools that turn biological discovery into real-world capability. As a Frontier Research Contractor, we provide technical solutions and hands-on support to partners working on the problems of today. Born a Focused Research Organization, we are drawn to the hardest technological problems in biology and built to tackle them with intensity. We prize builders who efficiently leverage resources to deliver tangible solutions at the frontier, for outsized societal benefit. Our ambition is to study and engineer non-model organisms across the entire tree of life. We are looking for an experienced scientist who seeks to change the status quo of working with organisms outside the comfort zone of most biology labs. A successful candidate brings deep expertise in nucleic acid and/or protein delivery across diverse cell types, and works alongside scientists, engineers, and computational biologists to build new delivery methods. You bring extensive hands-on experience with non-model organisms, a passion for lab automation, the patience to work through unexpected hurdles, and the creativity to propose disruptive solutions. This is an in-person role at either our Watertown, MA USA or London, UK location.

Requirements

You believe that every organism can be transformed with the right tooling, a balance of the methods that exist today and those still to be invented.
Authorized to work without sponsorship.
PhD in biological engineering, molecular biology, synthetic biology, or a related field, or equivalent experience and track record.
3+ years of hands-on experience across high-throughput DNA-delivery methods (e.g. electroporation, conjugation, biolistics, natural competence, viral transduction, cell-penetrating peptides, liposomal delivery, and protoplast- or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation).
Demonstrated expertise developing and/or optimizing biomolecule (nucleic acid and/or protein) delivery to challenging targets using innovative approaches.
Hands-on experience developing and using automated wet-lab workflows, with enthusiasm for adopting new lab automation platforms.
Familiarity and comfort with using LLM co-pilots for scientific workflows.
Proficiency in microbiology and molecular biology techniques, including bacterial culture, cloning, and nucleic acid extraction.
Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with a proclivity for reasoning from first principles.
An excellent communicator and collaborator who can reach experts outside your field, with meticulous record-keeping and attention to detail.
Thrives in a fast-paced environment, sets priorities, and adapts as projects and goals shift.

Responsibilities

Design and execute high-throughput DNA-delivery experiments for non-model organisms (e.g. conjugation, electroporation, biolistics, natural competence, and viral delivery) and invent new approaches to unlock genetic tractability in under-studied organisms.
Build and run delivery and screening workflows on custom robotics and automation, including NGS-based readouts such as pooled multiplex library screening.
Partner with scientists, software engineers, and hardware engineers to troubleshoot and optimize methods, pushing limits of detection, delivery efficiency, and solutions for recalcitrant organisms.
Run the supporting molecular biology and culturing: cloning, nucleic acid extraction, plasmid and NGS library prep, primer design, sequence analysis, and routine cultivation of bacteria, fungi, and beyond.
Write protocols and SOPs, present data to the team and leadership, and maintain the instruments and reagents the work depends on.
Bring high agency and high standards: take ownership, give and receive candid feedback, and push the team to be its best in service of the science.