Friday, June 17, 2016

Open Position: Lab Scientist, microbiome assay development

Hello hello!

First, for those of you who haven’t heard, I recently joined the small but mighty and growing ranks of Second Genome, a microbiome company out in the San Francisco area as a Bioinformatics Scientist [Shameless plug: Second Genome Solutions provides microbiome profiling research services for industry, clinical, govt and academic partners outside of the other drug-discovery/biotech activities.]

Second, the company is hiring for a number of positions and is especially looking for someone who can tackle protocol development and optimization for microbiome research (Laboratory Scientist, Microbiome Assay Development).  Note, this is primarily a wet-lab position, but knowledge/understanding of data analysis/bioinformatics will be useful too.  Please pass along this info to any potential MS- or PhD-level candidates. A complete description is below and applications can be submitted via: http://secondgenome.com/about/careers/

Cheers,
Cheryl

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Laboratory Scientist, Microbiome Assay Development
Location: South San Francisco, CADepartment: Second Genome
Type: Full Time
Min. Experience: Experienced

The Second Genome Solutions team is a group of passionate individuals driven to bringing insightful microbiome science to discovery research. We are seeking a motivated Laboratory Scientist ready to join a fast-paced work environment, with experience in a wide range of analytical and experimental techniques, to investigate microbial community composition and function.  The successful candidate shall be prepared to plan and execute initiatives to develop novel microbiome laboratory techniques and assays for advancing microbiome research in human health and disease.

The Laboratory Scientist shall also be responsible for:
Devising new microbiome applications through the stages of concept, feasibility, development, and commercialization to build a competitive advantage
On-going optimization of current assays and protocols to improve Second Genome’s overall microbiome profiling offering in terms of robustness, accuracy and scientific validity
Conducting detailed studies to validate new protocols and confirm process changes

This is an outstanding opportunity for an enthusiastic Scientist with the following key attributes and skills:
An MS (or higher) degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics or a related field
Minimum 3+ years experience working as a research associate or lab technician in a academic or industrial laboratory setting, preferably in microbiology research
Experience with next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a requirement, including operation of instrumentation (MiSeq, HiSeq, etc) as well as library preparation for a variety of applications (amplicon sequencing, shotgun sequencing, RNA-seq, etc)
Hands-on experience in a range of molecular biology techniques (e.g. DNA and RNA work; RT-PCR; qPCR; Sanger sequencing)
Experience in nucleic acid isolation techniques using manual and automated protocols
Custom assay development experience including concept design, optimization, and validation
Experience processing complex biospecimen samples, such as tissue, stool, swabs, soil and low biomass samples for molecular analysis work
Proven capacity to work independently in a startup environment, embracing cross-organizational collaboration with data analysts, project managers, sales, marketing and management
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate with end-users, customers and vendors
Methodical with good attention to detail and exceptional documentation skills
A passion to move the field of microbiome science forward through innovation in lab techniques and applications of genomic technologies

Other highly desirable skills/experience:
Experience working in a CLIA/GLP laboratory environment
Experience with basic genomic analysis software and bioinformatics tools
Experience with complex microbial community analysis and interpretation
Experience developing assays under ISO quality system and design control practices
Experience working with genomic microarray and data analysis

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