Summary:

The Research Associate II is a key driver of success by working with a Research Scientist to make significant contributions and drive genomic technology research & development. This Research Associate will use bioinformatic tools and approaches to test the capabilities of new epigenomic technologies, and then apply their methods and expertise to help support commercialization and external collaborations. This position will additionally play a large role in building and validating a long-read sequencing pipeline, and the transfer of our internal computational tools onto a customer-facing analysis portal.

Position Responsibilities:

• Create and validate a long-read sequencing analysis pipeline and provide supporting documentation.
• Act as a genomics liaison to our Products and Applications Team for transfer of our internal computational tools to a customer-facing analysis portal
• Generate custom analyses and visualizations to answer biological questions regarding products and technologies intended for commercialization.
• Work with a Research Scientist to design a daily research plan and execute it with relative independence, including experimental design and routine troubleshooting.
• Execute computational analyses with minimal supervision.
• Work expeditiously to generate needed data in accordance with product release schedules, grant deadlines, screening contracts, customer-initiated projects, etc.
• Analyze and graph results to EpiCypher standards.
• Develop troubleshooting strategies/future directions independently, with limited guidance from a Research Scientist.
• Independently organize materials, associated documentation, data, and results for assigned projects.
• Help source required materials, and acquire basic background knowledge, scientific rationale, and methods of new and existing projects (ex: by reading grants, papers, published protocols).
• Attend weekly meetings with a Research Scientist, Director, and/or Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Present updates showing progress and discussing future directions.
• Attend weekly mega meetings and prepare and present updates as scheduled, with limited guidance from Research Scientist.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of all coding experiments and results.
• Update projects and their progress on ClickUp.
• Commit to continuous training on new technologies.
• Begin to improve organizational strategies to maximize accuracy and throughput.
• Begin to take the lead in troubleshooting experiments when required.
• Begin formulating independent hypotheses for advanced troubleshooting.
• Begin to take on responsibility and manage new tasks.
• Begin to show initiative to improve existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and quality control (QC) metrics.
• Other Research Associate-related duties and projects as required.
• Adhere to safety training and protocols.
• Adhere to the EpiCypher Employee Handbook.

Credentials and Experience:

• BS or MS in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or related field.
• BS with minimum of three or more years or MS with a minimum of two years of bioinformatic experience.
• Prior experience in a commercial lab setting is preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Next Generation Sequencing data analysis experience (Linux OS/Python) is required.
• Experience with building custom visualizations is required.
• Familiarity with both long- and short-read NGS pipelines is preferred.
• Familiarity with bioinformatic tools and techniques is required.
• Effective scientific communication with wet- and dry-lab scientists is required.
• Strong conceptual background in biology is required.
• Ability to work towards specific goals under minimal supervision.
• Ability to gain working knowledge in new fields.
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines in an organized manner.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent critical thinking and troubleshooting skills.
• Works equally well independently and part of a team.

Travel Requirements:

Occasional

Direct Reports:

None

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of the Research Associate position, the employee must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods as well as move about inside the office and lab. The employee must be able to operate a computer and necessary lab equipment. The employee must be able to position self to move objects weighing up to 10 pounds throughout the workday.

Compensation:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Generous benefits package includes subsidized health, dental, and vision; paid vacation, sick leave, and parental leave; federal and floating holidays, mental health day; 401k matching up to 5%; professional development reimbursement; paid life insurance and stock options.

EpiCypher’s mission is to lead the epigenetics field in developing high-quality products and services that accelerate chromatin science to improve and extend human life. In this mission, we hold our core values in high regard: mutual respect, fairness, commitment to excellence, customer success, scientific advancement, effective communication, integrity, and teamwork.

EpiCypher is also developing innovative product families including nucleosomes, recombinant histone binding proteins, peptides, and affinity reagents, as well as other platforms that enable experimentation and results not previously available.

EpiCypher is committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequality. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.