Principal Scientist – High Throughput Synthetic Biology

Arena BioWorks, located in Cambridge, MA, is a new biomedical research institute focused on uncovering the mechanisms of human disease to identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention. The Institute's private funding model allows Arena to advance novel therapeutics by forming and supporting biotech companies up to the early clinical/series B stage.

Principal Scientist – High Throughput Synthetic Biology

Arena BioWorks, located in Cambridge, MA, is a new biomedical research institute focused on uncovering the mechanisms of human disease to identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention. The Institute's private funding model allows Arena to advance novel therapeutics by forming and supporting biotech companies up to early clinical/Series B stage.

As a Principal Scientist in High Throughput Synthetic Biology, you will focus on developing and applying cutting-edge synthetic biology approaches to support our internal discovery engines. The ideal candidate is expected to thrive in a multidisciplinary environment, smoothly collaborate with other Arena BioWorks research teams to explore and optimize novel technologies with extraordinary biology impact to support internal discovery projects across the institute.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and application of high-throughput synthetic biology approaches, including functional genomics libraries (CRISPRi/CRISPRa) and antibody display technologies (Phage/Yeast Display).
• Implement and optimize high-throughput protein engineering strategies, including barcoding approaches in pooled and arrayed formats.
• Develop and apply state-of-the-art and emerging Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques to support synthetic biology efforts.
• Work collaboratively within a highly interdisciplinary Design-Build-Test context, interfacing closely with in silico computationalists and wetlab experimentalists.
• Generate data in a timely manner; lead discovery initiatives; organize and present at project meetings.
• Assume additional responsibilities as needed across the Synthetic Biology, Disease Models and Mechanism, Cell and Gene Therapy and Protein Therapeutics Groups.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering, Molecular Biology, or related field, with 8+ years postgraduate experience in an academic or industry setting.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and applying high-throughput synthetic biology approaches, particularly in the context of functional genomics, antibody engineering with a deep knowledge of CRISPRi/CRISPRa library design and implementation for large-scale genomic screens a big plus.
• Proficiency in designing and executing high-throughput protein engineering campaigns, including familiarity with various barcoding strategies in pooled and arrayed formats.
• Strong background in Next-Generation Sequencing techniques as applied to protein engineering, including library preparation, sequencing, and data analysis.
• Highly adaptable, strong problem solver, with the ability to identify challenges and find innovative solutions.
• Consummate team-player in a dynamic research ecosystem with minimal hierarchy.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; must be highly organized and proficient in documentation, LIMS, and presentation of data.
• Ability to devise, assign and prioritize tasks, set deadlines, and adapt to shifting priorities in response to changing needs of the lab.
• Possesses an eager, proactive and collaborative approach to each day; must be a self-starter and resilient in achieving objectives to support our scientific and business goals.