Genome Engineer, Scientist

About Earli

The mission of Earli is large and ambitious: make cancer a benign experience.

Earli is developing a new orthogonal approach for early cancer detection and localization, making the disease actionable a stage when the chances of survival are significantly higher.  Rather than rely on naturally shed biomarkers that cancer may or may not provide, Earli's platform technology usurps the dysregulated pathways that cause malignancy and *forces* cancer cells to make a synthetic, non-human biomarker using gene therapy approaches. It's called a Synthetic Biopsy. It can then localize the cancer in a PET scanner, and even be extended to therapeutics. Developed initially by the late Sam Gambhir, former head of Stanford’s Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, and co-founded by serial entrepreneur Cyriac Roeding and gene therapy veteran David Suhy, Earli is funded by Andreessen Horowitz's Bio Fund, Khosla Ventures, Perceptive Advisors, Casdin Capital, Sands Capital, Marc Benioff, Menlo Ventures and ZhenFund. Earli is based in the West Coast’s prime biotech hub in South San Francisco.  Earli’s scientific advisors include Jim Allison (MD Anderson, Nobel Laureate), Pam Sharma (MD Anderson), Bob Langer (MIT, Moderna), Phil Greenberg (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center), Lee Hartwell (formerly Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Nobel Laureate), Alan Ashworth (UCSF) and Judy Garber (Dana-Farber). 

Who You Are

• You share our same sense of dedication, scientific passion and entrepreneurial spirit 
• You work well in a fast-paced and extremely focused startup environment 
• You are not only smart, but clever and constantly think outside the box 
• You are able to make logical decisions in an instant when there is little time to evaluate 
• You are a natural communicator and relationship builder 
• You stay calm under high pressure and stress 
• You have the ability to multi-task in a serious way, with an extreme attention to detail 
• You become a representative of the core DNA of the company through who you are 

The Position

Earli, Inc. is currently seeking a motivated, creative Scientist / Genome Engineer to build the next generation of protein screening technology.

Your Primary Responsibilities

• Develop a robust screening platform for broad protein engineering applications, applying your genome engineering skillset and creativity to support innovation and development of the Earli platform.
• Design, build, and screen protein variant libraries to support the development of novel biosensor technology.
• Develop assays to interrogate cancer specific post-translational modifications and tumor microenvironment.
• Work within a team environment to support ongoing studies for development, characterization, and optimization of synthetic biomarkers.
• Document results and communicate findings internally to the team and to external partners.
• Become the go-to person for library design and screening, leading the development, optimization, and implementation of new screening technologies.

Your Required Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• PhD, MS or BS in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related discipline
• Must have at least 2+ years of experience working in academic or industry labs with demonstrated hands-on expertise in designing and building robust CRISPR or plasmid-based libraries in mammalian cells for medium or high throughput applications.
• Knowledgeable in CRISPR library generation, including CRISPR guide design, evaluation of editing efficiency, and assessment of library diversity. Experience building and screening protein variant libraries is highly desired.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, transfection and viral transduction.
• Experience with arrayed format screens and development of in vitro or cell-based assays for functional evaluation of hit candidates.
• A creative problem-solver with an eagerness to propose new approaches and ideas.
• Excellent molecular and cell biology laboratory skills. Demonstrated experience in gene editing, DNA/RNA isolation, molecular cloning, PCR/qPCR, NGS sample preparation and data analysis, FACS, and flow cytometry.
• Familiarity with R, python, or similar environments for data analysis is highly desired.
• Familiarity with protein structure, rational design, saturation mutagenesis, alanine scanning is a plus.
• Be a go-getter and hands-on person.
• Keen eye for detail, both in the execution and the documentation of experiments.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with a diverse, collaborative team.

Why You Should Apply

• Outstanding opportunity to work with some of the top business and scientific minds in the Bay Area;
• Competitive compensation package;
• Rare opportunity to make a significant impact in the growth and development of a well-funded and scientifically sound start-up.

If interested in applying, please attach a CV or have a well-developed LinkedIn profile for us to be able to assess your background. 

We look forward to hearing from you!