Senior Research Associate

About the role

At Freenome, we are seeking a Senior Research Associate to help grow the Freenome Genomic Early Development team. You will participate in the development of genomic assay technologies and contribute to Freenome’s multiomic product portfolio aimed at early cancer detection. You will work closely with Scientists, Automation Engineers, and Computational Biologists to develop, optimize, and characterize efficient automated workflows to improve experimental and clinical throughput in a regulated high-throughput environment. You will also collaborate with Operations, Quality, and Regulatory to transfer complex methodologies, processes, and assays to Operations to ensure the highest quality data is produced by our clinical lab. This role is onsite at our Brisbane, California headquarters and reports to the Senior Manager of the Genomic Early Development team.

Responsibilities

• Apply hands-on knowledge of molecular biology, nucleic-acid biochemistry, and next-generation sequencing to develop and optimize NGS-based methods and processes following principles of Design Controls for IVD development.
• Design and perform experiments to develop, optimize, and characterize NGS workflow including DNA/RNA extraction, library preparation, target capture, and sequencing.
• Operate and maintain NGS-related instruments such as automated liquid handlers, PCR instruments, and sequencers.
• Conduct new reagents testing and develop reagent quality control methods.
• Participate in troubleshooting issues, identify and implement process improvements for the entire analytical workflow.
• Collaborate with research, computational scientists, and automation engineers to transfer research prototype assays from Research to Development.
• Collaborate with Quality Control Lab, Manufacturing lab, Quality, and Regulatory to transfer reagent quality control methods and manufacturing processes from Development to Operations and support their implementation.
• Accurately record results in electronic lab notebooks, author work instructions and record forms, and contribute to writing study protocols and reports.
• Diligently apply current Good Laboratory and Documentation Practices (cGLP, cGDP).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s in molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related field with at least 4 years of experience in the life sciences, or a Master’s in molecular biology or a related field.
• Hands-on experience in Next-gen sequencing (NGS) based assay development including extraction, library preparation, target capture, and sequencing.
• Familiarity with molecular biology, genomics, NGS, assay development, sample preparation, reagent handling, or related laboratory workflows (e.g., plasma separation processes, DNA/RNA extraction, purification, and quantification, NGS library preparation).
• Experience designing, planning, and executing successful experiments, interpreting results, preparing data for review, and giving effective scientific presentations.
• High attention to detail and ability to record accurate and detailed observations, assess impact, and perform troubleshooting as required.
• Ability to manually pipette with high confidence, accuracy, and precision.
• Clear and proactive communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with team members in the same and adjacent disciplines.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to contribute to the design and implementation of new processes.
• Flexible and highly motivated to learn new skills and comfortable adapting to changing priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with methylated ctDNA/cfDNA as an analyte in liquid biopsy workflows.
• Experience with automated liquid handlers, laboratory information systems, sample tracking systems, and equipment scheduling/status tools.
• Familiarity with programming in a scientific programming language (e.g., Python or R).

Pay

The US target range of our base salary rate for new hires is $97,850 - $126,000. You will also be eligible to receive equity, cash bonuses, and a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits depending on the position offered.