Staff Scientist, Molecular Biology

  • Missouri
  • Elegen
This is an opportunity to join a rapidly growing company at an early stage and to have an impact on the development of its products, markets, processes, people, and culture.

We are seeking an intensely passionate and creative molecular biologist to partner with engineers in bringing our synthetic, cell-free DNA to the next scale. You will work on integrating our molecular biology protocols with a large-scale manufacturing system to meet needs in mRNA vaccines and cell and gene therapy. This position requires a well-rounded molecular biologist who understands engineering principles and can think critically about how to adapt molecular biology workflows at the small scale to large fluidics systems where it may be more difficult to precisely control every parameter (like in a thermocycler).

Essential Responsibilities :

Lead the development of molecular biology workflows for cell-free DNA synthesis at large scale to meet product requirements

Work with fluidics engineers to establish specifications, make recommendations on design, and analyze instrument performance

Develop DNA purification methods at scale using chromatography, solid phase extraction, or equivalent

Design and execute hypothesis-driven, systematic experimental plans and interpret data using statistical analysis tools.

Support the transfer of molecular biology protocols to production.

Develop protocols into reproducible standard operating procedures suitable for commercial release and support product documentation.

Essential Candidate Profile :

PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, synthetic biology, bioengineering, or a related field and 5+ years of industrial experience.

Proficiency in fundamental molecular biology techniques such as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), gel electrophoresis, cloning, and DNA sequencing.

Experience using and/or developing tools for nucleic acid design, i.e. primer or probe design.

Experience with DNA characterization methods including NanoDrop, Qubit, Gel electrophoresis and LCMS.

Strong understanding of NGS methods, library preparation and data interpretation.

Experience developing molecular biology workflows on an integrated fluidics system

Ability to critically analyze experimental results, interpret data, and draw meaningful conclusions. This includes statistical analysis and data visualization using R, Excel, Python or similar.

Proficiency in managing complex research projects, coordinating experiments, and meeting project deadlines.

Experience supervising research assistants and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to clearly and concisely present data to wide range of stakeholders with varying levels of domain knowledge.

Willingness to learn new techniques, adapt to emerging technologies, and apply innovative approaches to problem-solving in molecular biology.

Preferred Candidate Qualifications :

Experience with DNA purification at large scale using chromatography, solid phase extraction, or equivalent.

Experience using statistical methods such as DoE to design experiments.

Competence in using bioinformatics tools and software for sequence analysis, primer design, and data interpretation. This includes understanding sequence alignments and analysis of next-generation sequencing data.

Working knowledge of methods for

de novo

gene synthesis, starting at oligo synthesis.

Previous experience with workflow automation using liquid handling systems.

Salary and Benefits:

The annual base salary compensation for this role, if based in California is: $160,000 - $185,000. Compensation may be different in other locations. Final compensation also includes bonus, equity and benefits. Specific offer packages are determined by multiple factors, including candidate skill, experience, expertise, and location.

✓ Healthcare

✓ Dental

✓ Vision

✓ Learning Allowance

✓ 401K

✓ Flexible PTO ✓ Short Term Disability

✓ Fitness Allowance

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