Senior Research Associate/ Scientist I, High-Throughput Biology and Lab Automation

About Alltrna

Flagship Pioneering has conceived of and created companies such as Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT), Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Indigo Agriculture. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures. In 2021, Flagship Pioneering was ranked 12th globally on Fortune’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies.

Alltrna is the world’s first tRNA platform company to decipher tRNA biology and pioneer tRNA therapeutics to treat thousands of diseases. Alltrna unlocks tRNA biology to correct disease. The company's platform incorporates AI/ML tools to learn the tRNA language and deliver diverse programmable molecules with broad therapeutic potential. Alltrna has an unprecedented opportunity to advance a single tRNA medicine to unify treatment across a wide range of diseases with the same underlying genetic mutation. Alltrna was founded in 2018 by Flagship Pioneering. For more info, visit www.alltrna.com.

About The Role

Alltrna is seeking a highly motivated and creative Lab Automation Senior Research Associate/Scientist to join us in support of our platform discovery engine for tRNA therapeutics.  In this role you will use deep technical understanding of cell biology and lab automation to apply high-throughput techniques for hit to lead activities aiding in the discovery of groundbreaking tRNA therapeutics.  You will use cutting-edge biology and the latest lab technology as you work to design, implement, and analyze automated and high-throughput cellular and biochemical experiments.  The ideal candidate will have a strong background in the deployment and programming of lab automation as well as the execution of high-throughput cellular screening assays.  They will have utilized equipment such as the Biomek I7 and Bravo, scheduling software such as Thermo Momentum and various types of bulk dispensers and microplate washers.  This expertise will be applied to the optimization of screens using physiologically relevant cell systems, luminescent reporters, high-content imaging, and flow cytometry to generate data at scale. 

The position will be closely aligned with the Computational Molecular Biology, Pharmacology & DMPK, and Bioinformatics teams.  As such, the candidate should be able to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary environment and have excellent written and verbal communication skills with a capacity for innovation and creativity to achieve company goals. 

 Core Responsibilities

• Scale up cell-based assays in 96 and 384 well formats to high-throughput by developing and executing compatible automated workflows that insure consistency with sample and data integrity.  
• Program liquid handling methods, make use of bulk dispensers, and execute screening campaigns.
• Perform analysis of large data sets from multiplate screens and have familiarity analyzing multiparametric data from flow cytometry and high-content image processing.
• Scale up cell culture and manage key cell line stocks.
• Manage tRNA screening library samples in a LIMS tracible format and distribute these reagents to key internal collaborators.
• Develop and deploy LIMS tools in collaboration with the bioinformatics team to support assay automation, sample management, tracking and data delivery to the ELN system.
• Explore new areas of lab technology with a forward-looking mindset to drive innovation as a technology expert. Train users on new methods and protocols. 
• Knowledge of Design of Experiments (DoE) models to accelerate assay development.

 Required Qualifications

• BS in biology, biotechnology, engineering, or related field with 5-6 years of relevant experience in industry; or MS in related field with 3-4 years of relevant experience in industry. PhD with 1+ years of relevant experience please also apply.
• Outstanding organizational skills and ability to contribute in a fast paced environment.
• Excellent at troubleshooting and problem solving and independently motivated to accomplish goals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work in a team environment.
• Expert knowledge in data analysis software, such Excel, GraphPad Prism, JMP, Spotfire or Tableau and FlowJo.
• Experience with tissue culture and cell-based assays including reporter gene assays.
• Famili