Senior Research Associate, Molecular Engineering (6-Month Contract)

Arc Institute • Palo Alto, CA

15h

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Research Associate to join the Molecular Engineering team within the Genome Engineering Technology Center at Arc for a fixed term of six months to support the execution of arrayed genetic perturbation screens in disease-relevant human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cells. In this position, you will play a key role in our Molecular Engineering platform development efforts for end-to-end lentiviral gRNA delivery to differentiated cells by executing, evaluating, and optimizing protocols to efficiently deliver high levels of perturbations into cells that will be incorporated into 2D and 3D brain models by our collaborators in the Cellular Models Tech Center. Through this work, you will play a critical role in the Institute's Alzheimer's Disease Initiative, an ambitious cross-functional effort aimed at identifying and developing drugs for rational therapeutic targets to combat devastating neurodegenerative disorders.
The ideal candidate will have experience and proficient skills in stem cell culture and functional characterization of engineered cells, with expertise in implementing, running, and troubleshooting workflows with an outstanding attention to detail. This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated and curious researcher interested in helping translate genomic insights into therapeutic strategies by contributing to a pioneering platform that has the potential to transform our understanding and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Requirements

• BS/MS or equivalent professional experience in Biology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Cellular Biology, or relevant fields.
• With a BS degree, 4+ years of relevant experience or with a MS degree, 0-2+ years of relevant postgraduate experience. Industry experience is desirable but not required.
• Relevant lab experience including demonstrated and proficient skills for stem cell and progenitor cell culturing and routine characterization.
• Familiarity with CRISPR-Cas9 or other genome editing or genetic perturbation techniques, with hands-on experience functionally characterizing genetically modified cells.
• Experience running and analyzing flow cytometry experiments, including familiarity with running multi-color panels, immunostaining experiments, and FlowJo analyses.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to multitask, willingness to learn, and work in a highly collaborative environment.

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency and experience with molecular cloning, virus production, and cell line engineering.
• Experience with LIMS systems, ideally Benchling.
• Experience analyzing large data sets preferably using data scripting tools such as Python or R.

Responsibilities

• Execute routine stem cell culture and differentiation protocols.
• Conduct and optimize lentiviral transduction-based experiments to introduce arrayed genetic perturbations into engineered cell lines.
• Leverage in vitro cell-based assays (flow cytometry, imaging, immunostaining, etc.) and molecular biology techniques to characterize the functional activity of genetic perturbed cells.
• Support the cross-functional execution of arrayed genetic perturbation screens for the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative at Arc.
• Have a systematic approach to the execution of tasks and experiments with a focus on efficiency and reproducibility.
• Maintain careful records in ELN (electronic lab notebook) and organize materials and reagents with detailed tracking in our LIMS system.
• Troubleshoot and identify opportunities to improve existing protocols and platform capabilities.
• Analyze and present data and at internal meetings and seminars.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level