Staff Bioinformatician

Elegen is blazing a path towards a biology-based economy with a highly innovative approach to DNA synthesis that delivers an industry leading length of 7kb in 7 business days with a 99.999% per base accuracy. Our multidisciplinary team of best-in-class biologists, chemists, hardware, and software engineers apply cutting-edge technologies and methods to solve critical bottlenecks in synthetic biology workflows to help our customers in pharma, biotech, agbio, and biomanufacturing streamline their work and realize the full potential of programmable biology.

The scientific computing team at Elegen is seeking an enthusiastic and experienced bioinformatician. In this role, you’ll be part of the R&D team, collaborating with molecular biologists, chemists, and our production team to develop cutting-edge synthetic biology products at the forefront of innovation.

Ideal candidates will thrive in challenging environments and possess the ability to troubleshoot molecular biology processes using NGS. Candidates will need to have experience generating, analyzing, and presenting process and product data for internal stakeholders. They should also be comfortable owning and understanding the analysis and pipelines they build while respecting the design of systems that have already been built by the team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain ONT analysis pipelines using Nextflow to analyze, ensure quality control, and optimize the DNA products under development.
• Conduct statistical analysis to evaluate and confirm performance improvements in new product versions compared to previous iterations.
• Provide technical support to product teams in resolving issues related to customer samples.
• Leverage industry-standard data analysis and statistical tools to generate insights into production processes, delivering actionable information to internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with R&D and manufacturing teams to address challenges and drive innovation in product development with a data-driven approach.

Essential Qualifications and Experience: 

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree with 6–8 years of industry experience, PhD with 3+ years of industry experience preferred, in a related field such as computer science, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, or chemistry.
• Experience with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT).
• Proficiency in bioinformatics workflow management tools like Nextflow.
• Strong expertise in industry-standard data analysis tools, including SQL, Python, Pandas, and R.
• Practical experience with Python visualization libraries, such as Plotly, Seaborn, or Matplotlib.
• Familiarity with cloud-based technologies, particularly AWS.
• Proven ability to use bioinformatics and command-line tools effectively.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to maintain high productivity in a fast-paced environment.
• Critical and strategic thinking capabilities, including drawing logical conclusions, anticipating challenges, and approaching problem-solving with creativity and openness.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas clearly and concisely.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience: 

• Extensive experience with Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT).
• Experience with statistical modeling.
• Experience with testing Nextflow pipelines.

Salary and Benefits:

The annual base salary compensation for this role, if based in California is: $160,000 - $180,000. Compensation may be different in other locations.  Final compensation also includes bonus, equity and benefits.   Specific offer packages are determined by multiple factors, including candidate skill, experience, expertise, and location. 

✓ Healthcare    ✓ Dental    ✓ Vision    ✓ Learning Allowance

✓ 401K    ✓ Flexible PTO   ✓ Short Term Disability    ✓ Fitness Allowance

✓ Long Term Disability    ✓ Parental Leave Program    ✓ Commuter Benefits

 

About The Company:

Founded and led by Dr. Matthew Hill and located in San Carlos, CA, Elegen is well-capitalized by top life science investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, and KdT. The company is advised and staffed by leading biotechnology scientists and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Marc Unger, inventor of the Nanoflex™ valve, and former CSO of Fluidigm. Dr. Hill has a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of advancing innovative technologies from invention to commercial success. Over eight years in his previous role as VP of R&D at a leading molecular diagnostics