Research Associate I/II, NGS and Molecular Biology

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 

Come join us and be an integral part of building our Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) core in Alltrna’s tRNA Discovery Platform! We are seeking to hire a highly motivated, organized, and enthusiastic research associate to join our Computational and Molecular Biology team. The candidate will be responsible for supporting NGS projects throughout the company, with the opportunity to work with and learn from multiple teams within Alltrna. This NGS pipeline, which covers workflows from early development to full implementation, is crucial for company initiatives and requires a high level of organization and attention to detail. The successful candidate should be able to work effectively in a team-oriented group and is accustomed to consistently delivering high-quality data on a timeline.

Core Responsibilities

• Prepare and sequence many types of NGS libraries to support key company objectives and results.

• Perform RNA extractions from a wide variety of tissue samples and cells.
• Participate in designing and establishing the systems and practices used to operate Alltrna’s NGS core.

• Operate and maintain Illumina NextSeq 2000.

• Independently operate automation instrumentation, including a KingFisher Magnetic Particle Processor and a Biomek Liquid Handler.

• Develop process improvement of current NGS workflows and procedures.
• Troubleshoot problems and participate in new technology evaluation and implementation.

• Document samples, internally track experiment status, interpret data, and clearly communicate your results within Alltrna.

• Diligently maintain all reagents and supplies needed for sequencing experiments.

 Qualifications and Skills

• BS/MS in in biology, cell biology, molecular biology, or a related discipline with 2+ years of lab experience, preferably in biotech industry.
• Experience working with nucleic acids, including RNA & DNA purification from cells and tissue, PCR, and gel electrophoresis.
• Understanding of RNA-seq library preparation and sequencing (Illumina).
• Familiarity with commercially available NGS kits for targeted RNA & DNA sequencing.
• Excellent communication, organization, and presentation skills, with attention to accuracy and technical details.
• Verbal and written communication proficiency in technical and non-technical domains.
• Ability to work effectively as an independent scientist and as part of a team.
• Proficient in following, maintaining, and writing SOPs.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills.
• Meticulous lab notebook/documentation practices.

     The preferred candidate will ideally also possess the following skills:

• Familiarity with NGS instrumentation.
• Experience using an electronic laboratory notebook system (ELN).
• Experience with automated liquid handling platforms (preferably Biomek).

What We’ll Offer You

• Comprehensive, competitive healthcare and dental coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, vision coverage through VSP, family leave, paid time off, 401k retirement plan, disability and life insurance, and fully covered parking/commuter benefits.
• A dynamic early-stage work environment and highly interdisciplinary, tale