Scientist, Delivery Screening Technology, Horns Lab

The role

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Scientist to join the Horns laboratory at the Arc Institute. In this position, you will lead the development of pooled screening technology for measuring and engineering how biological nanoparticles deliver molecular cargo into cells. You will play a critical role in building, validating, and scaling these platforms, and in applying them to discover and engineer next-generation delivery vehicles, such as virus-like particles and vesicles. Your work will directly impact our understanding of how cells interact with nanoparticles and the development of therapeutic delivery systems.

The successful candidate will discover, design, and engineer delivery vehicles. This work will initially focus on establishing quantitative molecular readouts of cargo delivery and executing pooled screens in cultured mammalian cells, then scaling to large multiplexed libraries. In the longer term, these approaches will be used to reveal principles governing cellular delivery and to enable efficient, precise, targeted delivery to specific cell types.

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Scientist, Delivery Screening Technology, Horns Lab

Arc Institute, Palo Alto, CA +1

The role

What you need

About you

You are passionate about science and about tackling challenging problems in synthetic biology, cell biology, and drug delivery.
You are excited to build new platforms and molecular technologies that make complex biology measurable.
You are creative and eager to explore new approaches beyond the techniques you are familiar with. You enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone to learn new things and develop new experimental approaches.
You work fast, yet are diligent and detail-oriented. You are good at troubleshooting. You are careful about good documentation practices and keeping things organized while moving at a rapid pace.
You excel at organization, time management, and task prioritization, and enjoy driving multiple projects in parallel.
You love to collaborate and help others. Science is a team effort, and you pride yourself in taking the initiative to help.

In this position you will

Design, build, and validate molecular reporters that measure how efficiently delivery vehicles enter cells and release cargo.
Design and construct pooled libraries of engineered delivery vehicles and cellular components, and execute screens with sequencing-based readouts.
Scale the platform from proof-of-concept to large multiplexed screens, and apply it to discover and engineer improved delivery vehicles.
Design and execute validation experiments, including orthogonal assays and characterization of individual hits.
Analyze sequencing data computationally, including developing analysis pipelines.
Collaborate with lab members developing complementary screening platforms.
Embrace the opportunity to creatively collaborate with Technology Centers and other laboratories.
Maintain accurate and detailed records of experimental protocols, results, and conclusions.
Present key research findings at internal meetings and seminars, and external conferences.
Provide guidance and mentorship to Research Associates.
Stay updated on advancements in the field of functional genomics, synthetic biology, and drug delivery by reading the literature and attending conferences.

Requirements

PhD in cell or molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, bioengineering, or a related field with 0-5 years of relevant post-PhD experience in academia and/or industry.
Deep hands-on experience in pooled screening with end-to-end ownership, including library design and construction, screen execution, NGS readout, and hit calling and analysis.
Demonstrated track record of developing and validating novel quantitative molecular assays from scratch, with strong troubleshooting skills.
Fluency with mammalian cell culture and cell engineering, including construct design, cloning, and characterization of genetically modified cells.
Proficiency with flow cytometry, including selection for pooled screens.
Ability to analyze large and complex data sets using Python, R, or similar tools.
Strong quantitative aptitude and rigorous approach to experimental design.
Strong project management skills with the ability to plan, execute, and deliver results on time.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a collaborative team player.

Scientist, Delivery Screening Technology, Horns Lab

The role

Scientist, Delivery Screening Technology, Horns Lab

The role

What you need

About you

Requirements

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