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Co-Op, Computational Biology

Boston

About us:

Ascidian is redefining the treatment of disease by rewriting RNA.

Ascidian Therapeutics was founded to rewrite RNA by editing and replacing human exons. We were inspired by ocean creatures, called Ascidians, who are primordial ancestors of vertebrates. To grow from larvae to adults, ascidians re-engineer their transcriptome through RNA editing via trans-splicing and alternative splicing.

In our Brighton/Boston labs, RNA biology meets today’s cutting-edge genomics, computational biology, and deep-sequencing technologies to create a new class of medicines that address the underlying causes of disease. We welcome you to come join our vibrant team and help us lead the way into a new gene therapy era.

Co-Op, Computational Biology 

Ascidian Therapeutics is a rapidly growing Boston-based biotech startup that uses a unique molecular technology, RNA Exon Editing, to unlock gene therapy. Gene therapy is entering an exciting new era, and our approach overcomes limitations that previous technologies could not. Our goal is to revolutionize RNA based gene therapy to enable treatment for millions of patients worldwide. 

Your role on the team:

Ascidian Therapeutics is seeking a Co-Op/Intern with an interest in computational biology to join our team. The Co-Op will work with an experienced scientific mentor to analyze next-generation sequencing data and contribute to the computational design of RNA drug candidates. The candidate must be creative, enthusiastic, detail-oriented, have excellent communication skills, and be willing to work in a dynamic entrepreneurial environment.

General Requirements: 

  • Candidate must be currently enrolled in a BS or MS degree in a scientific discipline
    • Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science all welcome to apply!
  • Candidate must be available to work full-time for up to (6) consecutive months beginning in summer 2025
  • Experience in the following areas necessary:
    • Beginner experience in command line usage (MacOS or Linux)
    • Basic to Intermediate ability in a scripting language (e.g. Python, R, Perl)
  • Enthusiasm for new ideas and a curiosity towards scientific entrepreneurship
  • Desire to develop knowledge of drug discovery & next-generation sequencing techniques with a passion for solving technical challenges
  • Self-motivation and adaptability to evolving project priorities and responsibilities
  • Effective communication and organizational skills
  • This role requires the student to work from the 80 Guest St. Boston, MA site throughout the duration of the Co-op/Intern term

Additional skills/experience beneficial, but not required:

  • Computational biology software tools & aligners (e.g. Samtools , BWA , MiniMap , )
  • Molecular Biology knowledge with a focus on RNA processing & expression

Responsibilities:

  • Processing and analyzing large amounts of sequencing data for various programs across the company. This includes running pipelines, interrogating RNA reads, data visualization, and various ad-hoc computational tasks. The Co-Op will have the opportunity to learn these techniques from scratch and meaningfully contribute to the company’s success
  • Work independently and collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex problems
  • Maintain detailed records using electronic lab notebooks
  • Effectively communicate progress and results to the team

Benefits:

We provide a vibrant startup environment where every employee contributes to our culture and science. We offer a generous total rewards plan that includes competitive compensation, stock options, and benefits. Our benefits include a top-tier health and wellness plan, commuter reimbursement or paid monthly parking, tuition or loan reimbursement, career development opportunities and so much more.

A final note - we highly encourage you to apply for our position, even if you are not sure you meet all the requirements. Everyone has unique talents, and at Ascidian, we look not only at your experience but your potential. We know that the best teams consist of diverse backgrounds, so please apply!

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