Senior Scientist, Epigenetics

About Conception:

Conception is pioneering the future of reproductive biology by generating functional human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Our mission is to unlock new possibilities for fertility, reproductive health, and genetic diversity. We are building a world-class team to make this vision a reality.

The role:

We are seeking an exceptionally smart and curious senior scientist to own the vision and execution of experiments to define how epigenetic state governs competence for germline specification and progression through meiosis I and II. You will independently drive exploration of histone modifications and DNA methylation profiles of our cells against in vivo references, and explore how epigenetic status impacts germline competence between species with the goal of understanding how we can improve our stem cell derived germ cells. This work will have a long term impact on egg and embryo quality.

What you’ll do:

• Define the key questions and roadmap. Frame key questions linking epigenetic signature (X-chromosome dynamics, imprinting erasure/re-establishment, histone modifications, DNA methylation) to germline competence and meiotic progression. Translate and execute experiments to address these questions.

• Define an epigenetic scorecard: Benchmark our cells against in vivo counterparts, where available, and identify discrepancies

• Make new pluripotent cell lines: Derive and benchmark new ‘flavors’ of pluripotent lines to interrogate the impact of somatic epigenetic memory on germline competence

• Cross-species comparisons: Collaborate with a dedicated epigenetics computational biology scientist to compare human, mouse and NHP epigenetic profiles vs. germline outcomes.

• Engineering: When relevant, drive experiments in collaboration with our cell engineering team to explore epigenetic perturbations to potentially mitigate any identified epigenetic failure modes

• Design and interpret assays of epigenetic state in collaboration with our NGS/sequencing and computational biology team
  

Experience:

• PhD in epigenetics, developmental biology, genetics, stem cell biology or related field, plus related postdoctoral work or industry experience

• Strong publication record on the epigenetics of pluripotency or early development

• Hands on human ES/iPSC culture experience. Bonus if experience deriving your own iPSC or ES cell lines.

• Deep expertise in histone modification and/or DNA methylation profiling and interpretation. Strong fluency with TF-centric chromatin biology and ATAC-seq

• Demonstrated experience designing and interpreting datasets such as ChIP-seq, CUT&RUN, ATAC-seq. Familiarity with how to interpret single cell and multi-omic assays is a plus.

• Working knowledge of X-chromosome dynamics and genomic imprinting in pluripotent and germline contents.

• Ability to collaborate deeply with computational biologists to make new discoveries.

Why join us:

• Impact: Define and accelerate one of Conception’s most critical programs, with the potential to transform human reproduction

• Ownership: Operate with autonomy inside a growing biotech company

• Mission-driven: Work alongside passionate scientists tackling one of the most exciting frontiers in biology with a team that is deeply mission aligned