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.

Arc scaled to nearly 100 people in its first year. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly to several hundred in the coming years.

About the position

We are looking for a Senior Scientist to join our Genome Engineering Technology Center to develop cutting-edge editing systems by engineering mammalian cell lines and establishing novel cell-based assays. In close collaboration with other Technology Centers and Core Academic Labs at Arc, you will develop mammalian cell-based assays for genome, epigenome and transcriptome editing systems using protein reporters, NGS and single cell readouts. You will also develop workflows for high-throughput engineering of mammalian cell lines to support Arc research programs including vector builds, transfections and clonal isolation of cell lines. The ideal candidate will have experience engineering mammalian cell lines, developing mammalian cell-based assays with various readouts and experience with high-throughput cell biology workflows.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated and curious scientist interested in the intersection of basic research and technology development. Title and compensation will be competitive with industry jobs relative to experience level and background.

Job Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute cell-based assays to characterize and improve DNA, RNA and epigenome editing systems
  • Establish and automate high-throughput workflows for mammalian cell engineering including viral vector systems and CRISPR-based editing
  • Collaborate closely with Arc Core academic labs and Technology Centers on projects and platform development
  • Report progress and present data in internal and external meetings 

Job requirements

  • PhD in molecular biology, bioengineering, genomics, cell biology or similar fields
  • 5+ years post-Doctoral experience
  • Experience engineering mammalian cells including design and build of DNA reagents, transfections and clonal cell isolation
  • Track record developing mammalian cell-based assays with various readouts such as NGS or flow cytometry
  • Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership and drive technology development projects to completion
  • Ability and desire to work in a fast-paced environment and be a team player

Preferred Skills

  • Hands-on experience with lab automation and liquid handling systems
  • Experience working with different types of cell culture systems including cancer cell lines, iPSC’s and primary cells
  • Ability to analyze large and complex data sets using Python, R, Matlab or similar tools
  • Experience with genome editing systems is desirable

The base salary range for this position is $130,500 to $148,500. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training, and skill level, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.

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