About Arc Institute

The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution that conducts curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley.

While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include:

  • Funding: Arc will fully fund Core Investigator’s (PI’s) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants.
  • Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators. 
  • Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction.
  • Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration.

With $650M in committed funding, the vision in the first 2-3 years is to grow to a team of roughly 150 team members, with plans for further significant growth over the decade ahead. 

The Hsu Lab and Konermann Lab at the Arc Institute (https://arcinstitute.org), UC Berkeley Bioengineering, and Stanford Biochemistry are seeking applications for a joint staff research scientist to be based at the Arc Institute in Palo Alto, CA in the areas of Genome Engineering and Functional Genomics. Our groups draw from a palette of technologies including DNA and RNA-targeting CRISPR systems, single-cell genomics, pooled genetic screens including Perturb-seq, and high-throughput methods for protein engineering to tackle big questions in neurodegeneration, synthetic biology, gene & cell therapy, and beyond.

Some of our joint projects to date include:

  1. Discovery and development of RNA-targeting CRISPR systems and programmable correction of tau mis-splicing (Cell, 2018)
  2. Deep learning of Cas13 guide RNA activity from high-throughput gene essentiality screening (BioRxiv, 2021)
  3. Systematic functional mapping of SARS-CoV-2 host factor networks, and discovery of mucin glycoproteins as an antiviral pathway for diverse respiratory viruses (accepted in Nature Genetics, 2022)

Ongoing projects in our labs include developing new genome editing technologies, high-throughput genetic screens, and applications in stem cells and neuronal cell types to study neurodegenerative diseases.

Compensation will be competitive with industry jobs relative to experience level and background.

In this position, the Senior Scientist will:

  • Work as part of a fully funded team to conduct experiments involving high-throughput functional genomics in human cell lines and primary cells, molecular and cellular assays, and iPSC-based models of disease
  • Collaborate closely with the PIs on planning and executing scientific research projects
  • Lead key research projects while mentoring students and research assistants; provide guidance on project strategy, experimental design, data analysis, and troubleshooting
  • Keep up-to-date on advances in the field by reading the literature and attending key conferences
  • Develop and provide training to lab personnel as needed, develop standardized protocols for the labs
  • Assist with preparing manuscripts, abstracts, presentations

Job Requirements:

  • PhD degree and postdoctoral experience in a relevant life sciences or engineering field
  • The following specific areas of expertise would be considered an asset for this role: large-scale functional genomics screens (RNAi, CRISPR) in various human cell types, single cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry, microscopy, iPSC culture and differentiation, and experience working with neuronal cell types
  • Outstanding written and verbal communication skills is required for research presentations, SOP development, and publications
  • Experience and enthusiasm for mentoring research trainees
  • The successful candidate will be an ambitious self-starter, be motivated to apply his/her skills to diverse projects and enjoy working in a collaborative and fast-paced team environment

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