Staff Scientist (mRNA & Synthetic Biology)

Summary of Role:

We are seeking a Senior/Staff Scientist to join our R&D Team. This role will report to the Director of R&D and will have an opportunity to contribute to the development of new workflows for the discovery of pre-clinical mRNA vaccine and therapeutic candidates. A successful candidate will enjoy working in a fast-paced and a highly collaborative start-up environment doing cutting-edge science. This person will work closely with team members from R&D and Operations. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conceive, plan and execute wet lab experiments.
• Manage the day-to-day activities of at least 1-2 direct reports (Research Associates).
• Engage and collaborate with team members at Codex DNA to develop and automate novel protocols and workflows.
• Manage projects in an efficient manner and successfully deliver against project timelines.
• Document experiments in detailed and complete reports; present data-supported conclusions in meetings.
• Consistently demonstrate initiative and follow-through in implementing projects and tasks.
• Keep up to date with scientific literature in the areas of strategic interest to Codex DNA.
• Serve as an example to Codex DNA’s Culture.
• All other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience with team lead experience on at least two fully completed projects and at least 1 year of managerial experience (managing others)
• Experience and familiarity with basic molecular biology techniques such as PCR, RT-PCR, Cloning (Gibson Assembly, Conventional Ligation Technique, Golden-Gate Assembly), plasmid and genomic DNA extraction, agarose-gel analysis and extraction of DNA, Microbiological media preparation, Buffer preparation, Sterile Techniques for propagating bacterial and yeast cultures, Sanger Sequencing and NGS data analysis.
• Hands-on experience with in vitro transcription to generate mRNA is a must.
• Experience with developing and implementing assays to determine mRNA capping efficiency, integrity, contamination etc is preferred.
• Candidates with prior experience in managing direct reports and leading projects to fruition will be prioritized.
• Familiarity/experience with automating biological workflows is a plus.
• Innovative in trouble shooting, generating new ideas and constantly willing to learn will be considered highly favorable characteristics for this position.
• Adaptability to changing priorities and projects is expected.

Education Requirements:

• PhD in Molecular Biology/Synthetic Biology/RNA biology with 3-5 years of experience.

Working Conditions: (Select from Below is applicable)

• As a critical and essential role, the candidate must be willing and able to travel to the San Diego, CA office to report to work. 
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds required.