Associate Scientist

Job Description The hiring company is looking for an Associate Scientist with knowledge of molecular biology to join a team in our Redwood City office. This position reports to a Senior Scientist/Team Leader. This person will be working with Research, Development, and Discovery. This role is responsible for developing, characterizing, and validating optogenetic gene therapy vectors and assisting with IND-enabling studies. Responsibilities Support the execution of assays for discovery and translational research. Assay read-outs include ELISA, qPCR, FACS, SDS-PAGE, agarose gels, and Western blot. Produce, purify, and characterize complex biological molecules like DNA, RNA, protein, and AAV. Maintenance, transfection, and transduction of different cell types. Perform sample processing from a variety of tissue types. Order and maintain sufficient inventory of materials and reagents for planned laboratory activities. Follow established protocols and SOPs. Ensure accurate laboratory records and project updates. Participate in team meetings and present technical data. Must be comfortable in a fast-paced, small company environment. Be involved with development, qualification, and transfer of bioanalytical methods to support preclinical and clinical assays. Present results, conclusions, and implications to project teams. Maintain excellent documentation of laboratory activities. Perform routine lab maintenance. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree with 6-8 years of relevant experience in a biotech company, or a Master’s degree with 4-5 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Broad knowledge base in molecular biology and microbiology techniques. Expertise in a variety of laboratory techniques such as recombinant DNA technology, including cloning, DNA/RNA isolation and analysis, PCR, RT-PCR, and qPCR is required. Expertise in sterile tissue culture techniques including transfection, transduction, and developing and maintaining cell lines is a must. Biochemical techniques including Western blot, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and ELISA are highly desired. Hands-on experience with the execution of bioassays using technologies including qPCR, ddPCR, MSD, Luminex, flow cytometry, and cell-based potency assays are advantageous. Experience with sample processing methods to support protein and nucleic acid detection from a variety of animal/human tissues. Experience with other gene expression and protein detection analytical methods. Must be proactive, cooperative, and willing to work in a small team environment. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proficient with MS Office and other commonly used software. Experience with data analysis software like Prism, FlowJo, ImageJ, and SoftMax Pro are a plus. Background and understanding of AAV biology is preferable. AAV production experience is advantageous. Understanding or background with optogenetics and calcium imaging assays is also advantageous.

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