Senior Scientist Molecular Biology

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Job description

We are seeking a talented and driven Research & Development Scientist to join our dynamic and fast-paced start-up. The successful candidate will be involved in early-stage research through product development of new molecular assays for detection and characterization of microorganisms in clinical (Clear Dx platform) and food safety (Clear Safety platform) applications.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Develop novel DNA/RNA molecular assays utilizing next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based technologies
• Optimize assays to achieve a high level of stability, robustness, and performance.
• Perform verification and validation testing with a high degree of scientific rigor.
• Provide technical leadership for experimental design and data analysis.
• Be a key contributor to the product design, including vetting user requirements and translating requirements into design specifications for the development of high quality, customer-focused products.
• Stay abreast of technological advances and implement as appropriate for product improvements (performance, COGs, throughput, etc.).
• Demonstrate the feasibility of new methods, and efficiently move products through pipeline up to and including transfer to manufacturing and scale-up.
• Identify and mitigate product and project risks.
• Contribute to both internal and customer-related troubleshooting efforts.
• Document work, and create presentations to communicate progress and assist with decision making.
• Conduct clear and concise communication with colleagues (cross-functional) and supervisors through oral updates, written reports, and technical meetings.
• Be both a strong individual contributor as well as a collaborative team member.
• Mentor junior scientists.

Requirements

• PhD or equivalent in molecular biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology, biochemistry or related fields.
• Deep technical knowledge in genomic methodologies (RT-PCR, multiplex PCR, nucleic acid quantitation) and a comprehensive knowledge of NGS sample preparation and sequencing methods are required
• 3 or more years experience in commercial product development (industrial or academic setting)
• Be hands-on in the lab and be able to work in a team environment and independently
• Demonstrated ability to plan hypothesis-driven experiments, analyze data sets, interpret results, document reports and present results
• Experience with design, execution, and analysis of DOEs
• Experience with bioinformatic analysis of NGS datasets using R, Python, etc. will be a plus
• Adept at troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Excellent oral and written interdisciplinary communication skills
• Be highly committed, operate well under pressure and deliver results in a fast-paced, technically challenging environment
• Team player with strong interpersonal skills
• "Can do" attitude, resourcefulness to adapt and high energy are desirable attributes

Benefits

• Full medical, dental, vision insurance
• Onsite organic snacks
• Lunch onsite 5 days a week
• Unlimited Flexible Time Off
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Stock Option Plan