Senior Research Associate

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. This role reports to the Senior Manager of Genomic Early Development and is based onsite at our Brisbane, California headquarters.

About the role

As a Senior Research Associate, 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 teams to transfer complex methodologies, processes, and assays to Operations, ensuring the highest quality data is produced by our clinical lab. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to life-saving diagnostics through early cancer detection.

Responsibilities

• Apply hands-on knowledge of molecular biology, nucleic-acid biochemistry, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) 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 workflows, 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 reagent 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 teams to transfer reagent quality control methods and manufacturing processes from Development to Operations, supporting implementation in Operations.
• 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 degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related field with at least 4 years of experience in the life sciences, or a Master’s degree in molecular biology or a related field.
• Hands-on experience in Next-Generation 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 observations, assess impact, and perform troubleshooting as required.
• Ability to manually pipette with high confidence, accuracy, and precision.
• Clear and proactive communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across 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, 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 language (e.g., Python or R).

Pay

The US target range of the base salary for this position 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.