Scientist/Sr. Scientist

The Position

Earli Inc. is seeking a highly motivated and creative Scientist/Senior Scientist to join our Synthetic Gene Regulation team.

Your Primary Responsibilities

• Work within the team to design, clone, and test combinations of novel promoter, enhancer, and other regulatory elements for the company's cancer-activated synthetic expression platform.
• Develop creative strategies to increase the strength and durability of expression from synthetic gene expression constructs by engineering elements such as 5' and 3' UTRs, codon optimization, mRNA structure, etc.
• Execute comprehensive studies using reporter assays, qPCR, and various -omics methods (e.g. RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, etc.) to validate the performance of synthetic expression constructs in mammalian cells (including primary cells) and tissues.
• Help execute high-throughput screens to optimize synthetic promoters and generate massive datasets on sequence-activity relationships.
• Work with the data science team to use AI/ML models for computational design of regulatory elements by generating training data sets for in-house model development, and validating GenAI-designed sequences for activity.
• Document results thoroughly and communicate findings internally and externally through presentations and reports
• Stay current with relevant scientific literature and technologies to improve experimental and computational workflows

Your Required Experience, Knowledge and Skill

• PhD degree in a relevant life sciences discipline (Bioengineering, Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, etc.) and 1-2 years of postdoctoral or equivalent industry experience. A Master's degree may be acceptable with significant industry experience.
• A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in mammalian synthetic biology is required, preferably in the context of gene therapy vector engineering
• Expert-level molecular biology skills including the design and construction of complex DNA expression vectors (e.g. restriction enzyme cloning, Gibson assembly, Golden Gate Assembly etc.), NGS library prep and analysis, RT-qPCR, etc. are required
• Strong experience in evaluation of gene expression constructs in mammalian cells (including primary cells) and in in vivo models is required
• Deep, direct expertise (as evidenced by high-quality publications or patents) in developing and validating the performance of gene expression vectors by engineering promoters, enhancers, logic circuits, other regulatory elements (e.g. miRNAs, UTRs, etc.) is required
• Prior experience with high-throughput screening strategies (barcoding, automation, etc.) for massively parallel evaluation of large synthetic libraries in mammalian cells is preferred
• Proficiency with computational biology skills such as bulk and single-cell -omics analyses is preferred. Knowledge and direct experience with AI/ML techniques such as building and training models on large datasets is highly desirable
• Experience with Benchling ELN and LIMS (or other similar systems for vector design and tracking) is a plus
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills are required
• Able to multi-task, manage multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively within a team
• Ability to think independently and fully integrate into a high achieving team environment

The base salary for this position is up to $145k depending on experience