Senior Scientist 1, R&D - Other US Location, United States - Ginkgo Bioworks

Description

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe's growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

Ginkgo believes that if we are to grow a thriving, sustainable bioeconomy, we must also grow a new market in biosecurity. Our biosecurity and public health initiative, Concentric by Ginkgo, launched a nationwide emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing end-to-end pathogen monitoring services to schools, communities, and travelers. As we continue to scale Concentric, our work is also evolving into new and exciting directions, from global expansion to the integration of new technologies and capabilities, including our Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance Plan with the CDC.

Role Introduction:

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join our growing Biosecurity Team. In this role you will be part of a team developing products for detection of existing and emerging pathogens. Your responsibilities will include assay development for PCR and sequencing along with method development for sample collection, and processing. The ideal candidate has a strong background in assay development including nucleic acid extraction from various sample types, PCR, and sequencing. This role will require someone who is highly organized and detail-oriented, and has the ability to achieve goals in a fast-paced dynamic environment. Working both independently and collaboratively is essential. This is a lab based role in the Boston area.

Responsibilities

• Develop and perform experiments supporting research and development including assay development for PCR and sequencing and method development of various sample collection and extraction methods
• Analyze and interpret experimental data
• Design, perform, and document validation studies
• Lead execution of Biosecurity R&D pilot projects
• Provide technical expertise to program teams
• Manage lab activities and train junior staff members
• Work closely with physical product R&D team to test and validate prototypes
• Effective project management of internal and external R&D projects
• 5% travel

Minimum Requirements

• BS + 8 years, MS + 6, or PhD + 3 years of relevant experience in relevant field (e.g., Biology, Biosecurity, Biomedical Engineering, Laboratory Sciences)
• NGS and PCR assay development experience
• Proven management experience (both external and internal)
• Experience with physical product validation for Biosecurity/pathogen surveillance
• Demonstrated troubleshooting and problem solving skills
• Experience in generating and interpreting data from multiple sequencing platforms
• Experience with tech transfer and scale up
• Successful proposal writing experience and familiarity with governmental funding agencies

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

• Entrepreneurial mindset, self motivation and accountability
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, emotional intelligence and an ability to work across organizational boundaries
• Active security clearance

Total compensation for this role is market driven, with a starting salary of $110k+, as well as company stock awards. Base pay is ultimately determined based on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

To learn more about Ginkgo, visit or check out some curated press below:

• What is it really like to take your company public via a SPAC? One Boston biotech shares its journey (Fortune)
• Ginkgo Bioworks resizes the definition of going big in biotech, raising $2.5B in a record SPAC deal that weighs in with a whopping $15B-plus valuation (Endpoints News)
• Ginkgo Bioworks CEO on scaling up Covid-19 testing: 'If we try, we can win' (CNBC)
• Ginkgo raises $70 million to ramp up COVID-19 testing for employers, universities (Boston Globe)
• Ginkgo Bioworks Redirects Its Biotech Platform to Coronavirus (Wall Street Journal)
• Ginkgo Bioworks Provides Support on Process Optimization to Moderna for COVID-19 Response (PRNewswire)
• The Life Factory: Synthetic Organisms From This $1.4 Billion Startup Will Revolutionize Manufacturing (Forbes)
• Synthetic Bio Pioneer Ginkgo Raises $290 Million in New Funding (Bloomberg)
• Ginkgo Bioworks raises $350 million fund for biotech spinouts (Reuters)
• Can This Company Convince You to Love GMOs? (The Atlantic)

We also feel that it's important to point out the obvious here – there's a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life.

We're developing a powerful biological engineering platform, so we must remain mindful of the many ways our technology can – and will – impact people around the world. We care about how our platform is used, and having a diverse team to build it gives us the best chance that it's something we'll be proud of as it continues to grow. Therefore, it's critical that we incorporate the diverse voices and visions of all those who play a role in the future of biology.

It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.

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