Sr Research Associate

B.S. degree in molecular biology, related field, or equivalent.
Minimum of 3 – 4 years of industry experience in an assay development department.
Experience developing production-grade clinical assays.
Understanding of the chemistry underlying nucleic acid extraction, PCR, NGS library preparation, hybrid capture, and sequencing technologies.
Understanding of metrics commonly used to assess quality of library preparation and sequencing.
Experience with various molecular biology techniques including but not limited to: next generation sequencing, PCR/qPCR, and nucleic acid extraction and quantification.
Capable of designing experiments with minimal guidance, manually executing experiments in the lab, interpreting results, and making data-driven decisions.
Good organization and time management skills.
Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment.

Participate in the development of LDTs by investigating feasibility of NGS and related technologies, optimizing chemistries and processes, and joining validation activities.
Design and execute experiments, analyze and interpret data, and decide on next steps with guidance from senior members of the team.
Collaborate with other scientists on large scale studies.
Collaborate with automation engineers to scale assays.
Communicate results with other scientists, document findings, and establish operating procedures.
Complete training relating to HIPAA/PHI privacy, General Policies and Procedure Compliance training and security training as soon as possible but not later than the first 30 days of hire.
Maintain a current status on Natera training requirements.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience with nucleic acid extraction from blood, tissue, and formalin-fixed samples is a plus.
Experience with liquid handlers and automation design and development is a plus.
Experience with coding (Python or R) is a plus.