Research Associate III, Strain Engineering

Research Associate III, Strain Engineering

W2 Contract

Salary Range:
$93,600 - $114,400 per year

Location:
Menlo Park, CA - Onsite Role

Job Summary:

The purpose of this position is to engineer and optimize yeast to produce valuable plant natural products for the pharmaceutical industry. The employee will be part of an interdisciplinary, dynamic, and enthusiastic team and must demonstrate a high degree of flexibility, creativity, and initiative. The employee should have a strong desire and ability to learn and contribute as both a leader and team player within a cross-functional project team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Formulating scientific hypotheses, constructing new strains, and testing modifications to increase the production of plant natural products in yeast
• Applying a range of molecular biology techniques for the design, construction, transformation, and screening of genetically engineered microbial strains and enzyme libraries in bacteria and yeast
• Designing and constructing custom DNA sequences (plasmids, linear DNA, gene libraries) for the above via standard molecular biology workflows in
  E. coli
  and yeast.
• Developing and executing cell-based assays for strain assessment and functional characterization of various novel proteins according to internal procedures
• Facilitating the scheduling and coordination of complex multi-day experimental schedules and workflows
• Analyzing data, documenting, and presenting results and ideas clearly.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• B.A./B.S. or M.S. in molecular biology, microbiology, biology, chemistry, engineering, or other related disciplines with five or more years of relevant experience working in a laboratory environment
• Proficiency with molecular biology and genetic engineering methods, including PCR, primer design, genomic DNA/plasmid DNA isolation, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, cloning, DNA sequencing, strain verification by PCR analysis, and experimental troubleshooting strategies for the above
• Proficiency with techniques used for DNA construction and assembly, DNA transformation into
  E
  .
  coli
  and
  S. cerevisiae
• Experience with culturing microbial organisms in microtiter plates and shake flasks
• Familiarity with microbial metabolism and/or metabolic pathway databases (e.g., KEGG)
• Experience with yeast cultivation and genetic manipulation (transformations, genomic modifications) is required; experience with CRISPR/Cas systems for genetic engineering is a plus.
• Ability to work under deadlines and good time management skills
• Capability to manage and organize multiple ongoing multi-day workflows, including scheduling instrumentation, preparing reagents and materials, and interfacing and communicating within and across our interdisciplinary teams
• Well-organized and detail-oriented, but also flexible enough to work and communicate effectively in a fast-paced environment

Bayside Solutions, Inc. is not able to sponsor any candidates at this time. Additionally, candidates for this position must qualify as a W2 candidate.

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Desired Skills and Experience
Strain engineering, Yeast engineering, Plant natural products, Pharmaceutical industry, Molecular biology, Genetic engineering, PCR, Primer design, Genomic DNA isolation, Plasmid DNA isolation, Gel electrophoresis, Restriction digest, Cloning, DNA sequencing, Strain verification, DNA construction, DNA assembly, E. coli transformation, S. cerevisiae transformation, Microbial culturing, Microtiter plates, Shake flasks, Microbial metabolism, Metabolic pathway databases, KEGG, Yeast cultivation, Yeast genetic manipulation, Genomic modifications, CRISPR/Cas systems, Cell-based assays, Enzyme libraries, Protein characterization, Laboratory workflows, Experimental design, Data analysis, Cross-functional collaboration, Project coordination, Time management, Multi-day experimental scheduling