Senior Research Associate, Functional Genomics

About the position

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Research Associate to join the Functional Genomics team inside the Genome Engineering Technology Center at the Arc Institute. This position will directly support our efforts of high-throughput interrogation of mammalian genomes, transcriptomes, and epigenomes with rich multi-omic readouts. You will play a critical role in the Virtual Cell Initiative, which aims to create the first foundational model that makes accurate predictions of cellular states and their response to intervention. You will also have the opportunity to partner closely with pioneering labs that have developed the fundamental toolbox for genome engineering and functional genomics screens, such as CRISPR nucleases, CRISPRi, CRISPRoff, CRISPRa, and serine or bridge recombinases.

About you

• You are highly motivated and passionate about applying cutting-edge functional genomics techniques to enable scientific discoveries.
• You are diligent, detail oriented, adaptable, and excel at troubleshooting.
• You are committed to generating high quality data and maintaining good documentation practices.
• You enjoy working collaboratively with others and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.
• You respect the process and are comfortable carrying out the routine execution of tasks while identifying opportunities to troubleshoot and address bottlenecks.

In this position you will

• Conduct routine mammalian cell culture, including cell line banking, expansion, and manipulation.
• Contribute to the end-to-end execution of large scale in vitro perturbation screens and downstream sample preparation for NGS.
• Participate in other research efforts related to cellular model, technology and assay development.
• Execute tasks and experiments with a focus on efficiency and reproducibility, following already established SOPs and ensuring accurate and reliable record keeping and documentation in our ELN and LIMS system.
• Analyze and present data at internal meetings and seminars.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other Tech Center teams at Arc.
• Contribute to lab organization and maintenance, including rotating in regular cleaning schedules and inventory management of supplies and reagents.

Requirements

• BS degree in relevant field with 4+ years of relevant experience, or MS degree in relevant field with 2+ years of relevant postgraduate experience. Industry experience is desirable but not required.
• Proficiency in mammalian cell culture procedures and associated aseptic techniques, including direct experience working with stem cells and differentiation workflows (neuron and microglia preferred).
• Hands-on experience executing high throughput CRISPR screens. Prior experience with pooled CRISPR screens is strongly preferred.
• Experienced with different NGS library preparation workflows (e.g. amplicon, bulk and single cell).
• Experience and knowledge of various cellular, molecular and biochemical techniques such as viral production, flow cytometry, and qPCR.
• An attention to details with the ability to deliver high quality work in a consistent manner.
• The ability to independently execute experiments involving complex workflows, and troubleshoot technical problems.
• The ability to be flexible and adaptable in a work environment.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Flexibility to work some weekends as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Neuroscience background, particularly experience with electrophysiology and/or molecular neuroscience techniques.
• Prior experience with single-cell RNA sequencing. Experience with 10x Flex is a plus.
• Multi-color flow cytometry and FACS sorting.
• Adept at molecular cloning. Prior experience with large pooled plasmid library construction is a plus.
• Experience with LIMS systems, ideally Benchling.
• Adept at data analysis in an independent manner.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $92,500-$114,250. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.