Senior Research Associate, Strain Engineering

Duties and Responsibilities

• Formulating scientific hypotheses, constructing new strains, and testing modifications to increase the production of plant natural products in yeast
• Applying a range of molecular biology techniques for the design, construction, transformation, and screening of genetically engineered microbial strains and enzyme libraries in bacteria and yeast
• Designing and constructing custom DNA sequences (plasmids, linear DNA, gene libraries) for the above via standard molecular biology workflows in E. coli and yeast
• Developing and executing cell-based assays for strain assessment and functional characterization of various novel proteins according to internal procedures
• Facilitating the scheduling and coordination of complex multi-day experimental schedules and workflows
• Analyzing data, documenting, and presenting results and ideas clearly

Requirements and Qualifications

• B.A./B.S. or M.S. in molecular biology, microbiology, biology, chemistry, engineering, or other related disciplines with 5 or more years of relevant experience working in a laboratory environment
• Proficiency with molecular biology and genetic engineering methods, including PCR, primer design, genomic DNA/plasmid DNA isolation, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, cloning, DNA sequencing, strain verification by PCR analysis, and experimental troubleshooting strategies for the above
• Proficiency with techniques used for DNA construction and assembly, DNA transformation into E.coli and S. cerevisiae
• Experience with culturing microbial organisms in microtiter plates and shake flasks
• Familiarity with microbial metabolism and/or metabolic pathway databases (e.g., KEGG)
• Experience with yeast cultivation and genetic manipulation (transformations, genomic modifications) is required; experience with CRISPR/Cas systems for genetic engineering is a plus.
• Ability to work under deadlines and good time management skills
• Capability to manage and organize multiple ongoing multi-day workflows, including scheduling instrumentation, preparing reagents and materials, and interfacing and communicating within and across our interdisciplinary teams
• Well-organized and detail-oriented, but also flexible enough to work and communicate effectively in a fast-paced environment