Senior Research Associate - IVD Development

Freenome is seeking a Research Associate / Senior Research Associate - IVD Development

About the Role

As a Senior Research Associate - IVD Development at Freenome, you will  work to develop the assay technologies for our multiomic platform manually and on robotic platforms.  Thereafter you will characterize, verify, and validate clinical products and performance aimed at early detection and intervention in human disease. You will work cross-functionally to execute studies, apply your knowledge of laboratory techniques and analytical methods, and transfer technologies into a regulated, high-throughput environment.

How you’ll contribute:

• Perform mission-critical experiments, while diligently applying current Good Laboratory and Documentation  Practices (cGLP, cGDP), to help optimize and characterize the performance of Freenome’s assays.
• Gather high-quality data, take detailed notes, and openly communicate on lessons learned while performing experiments.
• Participate in experimental design, data analysis, and troubleshooting efforts
• Identify and implement process improvements across the lab by thinking critically about the execution of all experiments.
• Collaborate with engineers and clinical laboratory members to transition development protocols into clinical production, including automation, validation experiments, and SOP development.

What you’ll bring: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, or a related field.
• 2+ years (4+ for Senior level) of laboratory experience in the life sciences preferable performing assay development in clinical diagnostics industry and/or start-up environment.
• Hands-on experience with running and developing automated molecular biology and biochemistry assays such as:
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS), including library preparation, working with the Illumina platform, and data analysis.
• Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR, ddPCR)
• Proteins (ELISAs, Western blotting).
• Proven track record of running successful experiments, preparing data for review, and giving effective scientific presentations.
• Ability to perform basic data analysis and to be critical of results obtained during experimentation.  Python or R experience preferred.
• Understanding of the biology of human cell-free nucleic acids, particularly for application to cancer biology preferred
• Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment (CLIA, GLP/GCLP, IVD development) strongly desired.
• Clear communications skills and ability to work with team members in the same and adjacent disciplines.

Freenome has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees. As a condition of employment, our employees working on-site are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved or as otherwise required by law.

About Freenome

Freenome is on a mission to empower everyone with the tools they need to detect, treat, and ultimately prevent cancer.

We have pioneered the most comprehensive multiomics platform for early cancer detection through a routine blood draw.  By combining deep expertise in molecular biology with advanced computational biology and machine learning techniques to recognize disease-associated patterns among billions of circulating, cell-free biomarkers, we are developing simple and accurate blood tests for early cancer detection and integrating the actionable insights into health systems to operationalize a machine learning feedback loop between care and science. 

Our recent $270 Million Series C brings our financing to over $500 million from investors, including;  Bain Capital, Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital, Polaris Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., GV (formerly Google Ventures), Roche Venture Fund, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Ventures, Data Collective Venture Capital, Novartis and Verily Life Sciences. 

Our Science

Freenome is building technology to advance the understanding of cancer through multiple analytes derived from blood. These signals include cell-free DNA, methylation of cell-free DNA, cell-free RNA, circulating proteins, and immune profiling derived from thousands of prospective samples. By developing novel statistical learning methods and applying them to integrate various -omics datasets, Freenome is a leader in modeling specific biological mechanisms to capture disease-dependent signatures, including gene expression, immune response, tumor burden, the tissue of origin, and 3D chromatin structure. 

By building comprehensive discovery datasets and modeling critical biological systems, Freenome is learning what biological changes are present within the blood between a variety of different disease states, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, infections, drug response, and aging. The synthesis of Freenome’s datasets, cross-functional technical expertise, and audacious mission to discover biological truth, we seek to improve the lives of millions through early detection and early treatment of disease.  

Our Culture

Freenomers are technical, creative, visionary, grounded, empathetic, and passionate. We build teams around divergent expertise, allowing us to solve problems and ascertain opportunities in unique ways. Freenomers are some of the most talented experts in their fields, joining together to advance healthcare, one breakthrough at a time. 

We value empathy, integrity, and trust in one another, and we respect the diverse perspectives of our colleagues and those we serve.  We assume positive intent and give each other the benefit of the doubt with the firm belief that we are a team working toward the same objectives.  We believe in empowering and supporting each other in a collaborative and dynamic environment. 

What does a successful person look like at Freenome?

Those who thrive at Freenome prioritize, manage, and execute their own goals with ownership and alignment with those of the company. They embrace our values of empathy, integrity, striving for greatness, servant leadership, trust, and holding themselves and their team accountable to these values. They crave collaboration with brilliant minds from disparate fields of study and believe that hiring and mentorship are fundamental to our success. Above all, they welcome and provide constructive feedback and criticism, trusting in others’ good intentions, and being secure in knowing that embracing mistakes is the best way to learn and grow. For those who pursue challenges, understudied problems, and want the opportunity to see their work impact the lives of millions of people affected by cancer every year, there’s no better place to be than Freenome.

Freenome is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. Freenome does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.