Scientist, Horns Lab

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 technology at the interface of synthetic biology and genomics, as well as harnessing this technology to understand complex diseases, such as cancer, autoimmunity, and neurodegeneration. You will play a critical role in creating new approaches to monitor the dynamics of cellular states using nucleic acid measurements, building upon our recent work on cellular RNA export technology. You will have the opportunity to partner closely with pioneering labs that have developed the fundamental toolbox for cellular RNA export, single-cell RNA sequencing, and genome engineering.

The successful candidate will develop and apply cellular monitoring technologies within the Horns lab at the Arc Institute. This work will initially focus on creating novel approaches for monitoring dynamic cellular states and on using these approaches in mammalian model systems to discover fundamental biological principles and therapeutic strategies for cancer, immune, and neurodegenerative diseases. The successful candidate will collaborate with other members of Arc’s labs and Technology Centers in a dynamic environment to drive innovative scientific discoveries. The ideal candidate would have a passion for cutting-edge technology development and a proven track record of working in an interdisciplinary environment and turning concepts into reliable methods and results. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious self-starter who is motivated to apply his/her skills to diverse projects and enjoys working in a collaborative, fast-paced team environment.

About you

• You are passionate about science and answering questions related to genomics technology, cellular states, complex human diseases, and synthetic biology.
• You are excited to develop new molecular tools to answer fundamental 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 monitoring cellular dynamics using cell engineering and nucleic acid measurements (e.g. NGS, in situ hybridization).
• Apply these technologies in mammalian model systems (e.g. stem cell cultures, 3D cultures, and animal models) to interrogate complex human diseases.
• 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 single-cell technology, genomics, and synthetic biology by reading the literature and attending conferences.

Requirements

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, bioengineering, or a related field with 0-5 years of relevant post-PhD experience in either academia or industry.
• Proven record in genomics, single-cell biology, or related method development publications.
• Deep expertise in molecular biology, focusing on NGS, single-cell sequencing (RNA, DNA, or epigenetics), or in situ nucleic acid measurement (e.g. FISH, spatial transcriptomics) assay development and workflows.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, cell line engineering, and associated techniques for construct design, cloning, and characterization of genetically modified cells (flow cytometry, microscopy).
• Demonstrated success in developing and optimizing novel molecular biology assays with strong troubleshooting skills.
• Familiarity with current bioinformatic tools and ability to analyze large and complex sequencing 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 in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a highly collaborative team player.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with mammalian synthetic biology is a plus.
• Experience with microscopy is a plus.
• Experience with virus or vesicle purification and characterization is a plus.
• Experience with animal handling, colony management, and surgery is a plus. Techniques of special interest: intraperitoneal, tail-vein, and retro-orbital injections, blood and tissue collection.
• Experience working with cancer models or immune or brain cells (HSCs, T cells, B cells, monocytes, neurons, glia) 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.