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Research Associate II, Pluvinage Lab

Palo Alto, CA

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 300 people to date. 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 Research Associate II to join the Pluvinage Lab at the Arc Institute. Our goal is to improve the lives of patients with neurological diseases. We do this by exploring undiagnosed autoimmunity in rare mystery cases and common neurodegenerative conditions alike. What if we could tune the immune system to promote healthy brain aging?

You will have the opportunity to work with world-leading scientists in the fields of immunology, functional genomics, and computational biology. You will also be exposed to clinical neurology with projects that span basic discovery all the way to translation. 

This is a great stepping stone for candidates looking to enroll in a top MD, PhD, or MD/PhD program in the future, as you will be involved in designing projects from the ground up and co-authoring papers. The ideal candidate must have a strong background in molecular biology and will learn to apply their skills to build new tools, design new treatments, and discover new neurobiology.

About you

  • You love science and learning. Whether it’s gaining knowledge in new fields of scientific research or learning a new lab technique, you never stop being curious and routinely enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone to learn new things. 
  • You can work fast and are detail-oriented. You are careful and diligent about good documentation practices and keeping things organized while moving at a rapid pace. 
  • You explicitly wish to use this experience to gain entry into a MD, PhD, or MD/PhD program. We will help you achieve this goal.
  • You love to collaborate and help others. Science is a team effort, and you pride yourself in taking the initiative to help.
  • You are a problem solver. You pride yourself in your ability to troubleshoot complex problems in the lab. 

In this position you will

  • Contribute to the discovery of novel autoantibodies in patients with mysterious neurological diseases and common neurodegenerative conditions
  • Contribute to the design and characterization of targeted immunotherapies
  • Learn and implement high-throughput technologies including phage display, CRISPR screening, single-cell sequencing
  • Assist with research planning, execution, analysis, troubleshooting, and data interpretation with a high degree of independence and continued support from the rest of the team 
  • Analyze and present data at group meetings and seminars
  • Maintain an organized and detailed lab notebook

Requirements

  • BS/MS or equivalent professional experience in cell & molecular biology, biochemistry or immunology
    • BS degree, 2+ years of relevant experience or with a MS degree, 0-2+ years of relevant postgraduate experience
    • Candidates with extensive undergraduate research experience are encouraged to apply
  • Extensive experience with standard molecular biology techniques and proficiency with mammalian cell culture
  • Biochemistry experience (protein expression + purification) is a plus
  • Bioinformatics software experience is a plus
  • Highly motivated, curious, and a team player

The base salary for this position is $75,900. This amount does not include benefits or other forms of compensation.

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