Scientist, NGS & Cell Engineering (BHN - Chicago)

The Team

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network (https://www.czbiohub.org/) is a group of nonprofit research institutes that bring together scientists, engineers, and physicians with the goal of pursuing grand scientific challenges on 10- to 15-year time horizons. The CZ Biohub Network focuses on understanding underlying mechanisms of disease and developing new technologies that will lead to actionable diagnostics and effective therapies.

Our Vision

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at the CZ Biohub Network facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of CZ Biohub Network and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The Opportunity

The Biohub Network is seeking a highly-skilled Scientist to develop, troubleshoot, and improve complex and novel next-generation sequencing (NGS) assays. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in molecular biology, cell engineering, lentiviral systems, and cloning, and will collaborate closely with computational scientists and AI experts to generate high-quality data for training unique computational models.

This is a hands-on role in a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment, with opportunities to work at the forefront of technology development and application in genomics, immunology, and AI-driven discovery.

This role is based out of the Chicago location.

What You'll Do

• Develop and troubleshoot novel NGS-based assays and improve existing workflows to maximize data quality and reproducibility.
• Design and execute cell engineering experiments, including cloning, lentiviral transduction, CRISPR modification, and other synthetic biology techniques.
• Collaborate with computational scientists and AI researchers to generate, analyze, and interpret sequencing data that will drive innovative model training.
• Standardize and document protocols, ensuring reproducibility and scalability across projects.
• Perform and interpret data analysis, presenting findings in lab meetings, internal seminars, and external conferences.

What You'll Bring

Essential -

• PhD (or MS + 6-8 years of research experience) in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Genomics, or a related field.
• Extensive experience (5+ years) with NGS technologies, including short- and long-read sequencing.
• Expertise in molecular and cell biology techniques, including cloning, CRISPR-based genome editing, lentiviral transduction, and synthetic biology.
• Strong troubleshooting skills in developing and optimizing complex sequencing assays.
• Ability to communicate effectively across interdisciplinary teams, including biologists, data scientists, and engineers.

Nice to have - 

• Proficiency in data analysis and workflow scripting tools using Python (preferred) or R.
• Experience expressing and characterizing T Cell Receptors via in vitro assays (co-culture, tetramer staining, etc)
• Experience with multi-omics approaches, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.
• Background in high throughput screening, molecular assay development, or immunology.

Compensation

The Chicago, IL base pay range for a new hire in this role is Scientist I = $92,000.00 - $127,000.00 and Scientist II = $104,000.00 - $143,000.00. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

Benefits for the Whole You 

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
• Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

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