Current openings at Arc Institute

About Arc Institute The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution conducting curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley. While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include: Funding: Arc fully funds Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants. Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators.  Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction. Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration.  Arc has scaled to nearly 200 people. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly in the coming years. About the position The Arc Institute is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Bioinformatics team within the Computational Technology Center. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in advancing the Arc’s Virtual Cell Initiative, which aims to create the foundational model that makes accurate predictions of cellular states and their responses to perturbations, and ultimately to help identify rational therapeutic targets for complex human diseases. About you You are passionate about science and excited about answering biological questions related to complex human diseases.  You understand the importance of collaboration and thrive when working with a diverse team of scientists and engineers.   You are an individual with a deep understanding of computational genomics, bioinformatics, machine learning, statistics, next-generation sequencing, and single-cell multi-omics.  You are known for your ability to analyze complex datasets and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.  Your organizational skills enable you to manage multiple concurrent projects, and your curiosity and creativity drive you to continuous learning and innovation. You possess outstanding scientific coding and software engineering skills You are experienced in project management within cross-functional teams. In this position, you will Lead the efforts to design and implement state-of-the-art analysis pipelines for various high-throughput projects using best software engineering practices. Manage analysis projects for large-scale sequencing datasets (single-cell RNA-seq, epigenomics, multi-omics, Perturb-seq, spatial transcriptomics) Develop novel machine learning algorithms to get biological insights from the multifaceted genomic datasets. Lead computational side in the cross-functional teams tasked with developing novel genomic technologies. Mentor junior scientists in developing computational methods and utilizing bioinformatics tools and pipelines. Requirements Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or related quantitative field, with 5+ years of industry/academia experience Hands-on experience analyzing high-throughput sequencing datasets, especially on single-cell omics data (bulk and single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq, Perturb-seq, etc.). High competency with Python, git/GitHub, and Linux. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with wet-lab scientists. Strong statistical, mathematical, and analytical skills. Preferred Skills Experience analyzing spatial transcriptomics, optical pooled screens, cell painting, and other imaging technologies. Familiarity with CRISPR screens technology and analyses. Scientific background in neuroscience or cancer biology. Experience with Nextflow pipelines. Familiarity with cloud computing. The base salary range for this position is $132,250 to $183,250. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.

About Arc Institute The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution that conducts curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley. While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include: Funding: Arc will fully fund Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants. Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators.  Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction. Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration. Arc has scaled to nearly 200 people. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly in the coming years.   About the position We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Scientist to advance the mission of our Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (ADI), an institutional effort aimed at deepening our understanding of the molecular and biological processes driving Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The person in this role will lead the development of innovative differentiation protocols to generate complex brain cell types including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and immune-related cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), will conduct systematic protocol comparisons and create new models and approaches to capture the complexity of AD-relevant cell populations. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in neurodevelopmental biology, with a proven track record in generating novel differentiation protocols and leveraging genome editing tools and/or NGS, transcriptomics, proteomics or cell-based assays to characterize the cell models while generating valuable biological and mechanistic insights.  About you You love science and the opportunities it creates. You find excitement in the opportunity to develop novel hPSC differentiation methodologies and in vitro brain models to address challenging questions in the field of neurodegeneration and find cellular and molecular pathways/targets directly responsible for disease phenotypes.  You are a collaborator. You’re an expert in your domain and you greatly enjoy working successfully with scientists from other teams, labs and scientific domains. You believe that working on projects with scientists from different backgrounds can lead to the most exciting and successful research. You are an optimizer. In science, there’s always a race against the clock. You care deeply about making every step of the way as close to perfect as possible but also as quick and efficient as possible. In this position you will Lead development of novel differentiation protocols: Design, test, and optimize protocols for differentiating hPSCs into challenging brain cell types.  Conduct systematic comparisons of existing protocols to identify areas for improvement. Establish advanced in vitro brain models: Implement novel 2D and 3D brain models containing a variety of cell types to represent the complexity of the human brain. Integrate expertise in neurodevelopmental biology to enhance fidelity in Alzheimer's disease modeling and build systems that closely reflect disease-associated phenotypes. Use a range of assays (cell-based, biochemical, molecular) and techniques (NGS, transcriptomics, proteomics) to rigorously validate cell identity, assess cellular function, and confirm model relevance to AD pathophysiology.  Interpret complex datasets to understand the molecular and cellular drivers of AD, directly shaping the scientific direction of internal research projects and guiding the selection of new targets and approaches. Use CRISPR-Cas9 and other genome editing techniques to discover new pathways for cell differentiation. Collaborate and lead cross-functional projects, integrating in vitro brain models into broader research and technology development programs at Arc. Provide mentorship and guidance to research associates and junior scientists. Manage projects effectively to deliver results on time. Stay current with scientific advances, keeping up to date on the latest developments in stem cell research and neurobiology, and actively seeking opportunities for innovation. Requirements Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Cell Biology, or a related field with a minimum of 4-5+ years of postdoctoral experience in academia and/or industry. Extensive expertise in neurodevelopmental biology and hPSC-based differentiation protocols. Proven experience in developing and troubleshooting novel protocols for differentiating astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and/or immune-related cells. Strong background in systematic protocol comparisons, optimization, and validation. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment. Strong project management skills with the ability to plan, execute, and deliver results on time. Ability to work some weekends as needed (days off can be swapped for weekdays). Preferred Qualifications Experience with high-throughput screening methodologies and applications. Proficiency with CRISPR-Cas9 and other genome editing tools. A track record of publications demonstrating innovation in neurodevelopmental biology and stem cell differentiation. The base salary range for this position is $131,750 to $162,750. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.

About Arc Institute The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution that conducts curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley. While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include: Funding: Arc will fully fund Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants. Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators.  Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction. Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration. Arc has scaled to nearly 200 people. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly in the coming years. About the position We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Scientist to join the Horns laboratory at the Arc Institute. In this position, you will contribute to developing cutting-edge delivery technology. You will play a critical role in creating new approaches to discover and engineer biological nanoparticle-based delivery vectors – such as virus-like particles and vesicles – for precise delivery of nucleic acids and other therapeutic cargo. Your work will directly impact the development of therapeutic systems to address complex diseases. The successful candidate will discover, design, and engineer delivery vehicles. We will initially focus on creating novel, scalable strategies for characterizing and optimizing next-generation delivery vehicles for cell type- or tissue-specific targeting, with a focus on viral and extracellular vesicle-based vectors. The candidate will collaborate with other members of Arc’s labs and Technology Centers in a dynamic environment to drive scientific discoveries, including partnering with groups within Arc Institute who are leaders in viral vector and vesicle engineering, RNA medicine, single-cell genomics, genome engineering, and AI/ML. The successful candidate will be an ambitious self-starter, be motivated to apply their skills to diverse projects and enjoy working in a collaborative, fast-paced team environment. About you You are passionate about science and about tackling challenging problems in drug delivery, synthetic biology, and complex human disease. You are excited to develop new molecular technologies to answer complex questions. You are creative and eager to explore new approaches beyond the techniques you are familiar with. You enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone to learn new things and develop new experimental approaches. You work fast, yet are diligent and detail-oriented. You are good at troubleshooting. You are careful about good documentation practices and keeping things organized while moving at a rapid pace. You excel at organization, time management, and task prioritization, and enjoy driving multiple projects in parallel. You love to collaborate and help others. Science is a team effort, and you pride yourself in taking the initiative to help. In this position, you will Develop technologies for discovering, characterizing, and engineering biological nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (e.g. viral vectors and vesicles) using protein engineering and scalable screening approaches. Embrace the opportunity to creatively collaborate with Technology Centers and other laboratories. Maintain accurate and detailed records of experimental protocols, results, and conclusions. Present key research findings at internal meetings and seminars, and external conferences. Provide guidance and mentorship to Research Associates. Stay updated on advancements in the field of synthetic biology and drug delivery by reading the literature and attending conferences. Requirements PhD in cell or molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, bioengineering, or a related field with 0-5 years of relevant postdoctoral experience in academia and/or industry. Extensive expertise in pooled screening technologies and associated library design, implementation, and NGS workflows. Strong experience in developing viral vectors, vesicles, lipid nanoparticles, or similar delivery systems. Experience with mammalian cell culture, cell engineering, and associated techniques for construct design, cloning, and characterization of genetically modified cells (flow cytometry, microscopy). Proven ability to troubleshoot complex experimental workflows. Ability to analyze large and complex data sets using Python, R, or similar tools. Strong project management skills with the ability to plan, execute, and deliver results on time. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a highly collaborative multidisciplinary environment. Willingness to learn and conduct in vivo experiments with animal models.  Preferred Qualifications Experience with computational protein design or genome mining is a plus. Experience with protein biochemistry is a plus. Experience with animal handling and procedures (e.g. injection, tissue collection) is a plus. The base salary range for this position is $121,500 to $134,750. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.