About Arc Institute

The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution conducting curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley.

While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include:

• Funding: Arc fully funds Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants.
• Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators. 
• Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high-risk, high-reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction.
• Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration.

Arc scaled to nearly 100 people in its first year. With $650M in committed funding and a state-of-the-art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly to several hundred in the coming years.

About the position

This is a Research Associate II position in the Konermann Lab at Arc Institute and the Stanford Medical School Department of Biochemistry, working closely with a scientist in the lab to identify the key pathways that drive the progression of neurodegenerative diseases using advanced CRISPR technologies. 

About you

• You are curious and eager to learn about unsolved questions in biological medicine. 
• You love to tackle difficult biological problems that are critical to advancing mechanistic understanding and therapeutics for neurodegeneration.
• Perseverance and critical thinking are your strengths in testing hypotheses and designing experiments
• You are detail-oriented. You are careful and diligent about good documentation practices and good lab practices.
• You’re eager to collaborate with a cross-functional team at Arc spanning the Konermann lab, the Multi-Omics Tech Center, and the Cellular Models Team. 

In this position, you will

• Perform daily activities related to human ESC/iPSC culture, including cell maintenance and differentiation of human ESC/iPSC to neural and/or immune cell types. 
• Collaborate closely with a scientist in the laboratory to conduct large-scale screening of genetic modifiers of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease using stem cell-derived brain models.
• Learn various cutting-edge techniques while participating in a project at the intersection of neuroscience, stem cell biology, and genomics. 
• Assist with molecular and cellular experiments including mammalian cell culture, transfection, FACS, RT-qPCR, immunostaining, and ELISA.
• Learn to conduct experimental planning, execution, analysis, troubleshooting, and data interpretation with a high degree of independence and continued support from the rest of the team. This is a good opportunity for candidates before enrolling in a PhD program as you will be involved in all stages of a project under the guidance of an experienced scientist.
• You will also have a broad range of experience in collaboration with a cross-functional team to develop your expertise in biomedical research to build your career in the R&D sector of the industry if you are interested in that career path. 

Requirements

• BS/MS or equivalent professional experience in cellular biology, neuroscience, immunology, or another relevant field 
• 2 years of relevant experience (including independent lab work during your undergraduate studies) incorporating strong hands-on experience with cell culture techniques and cell-based assays. 
• Experience working with stem cell-derived neural cells or immune cells
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively both as an individual contributor and collaboratively. 

Preferred Skills

• 3D brain modeling experience – e.g. via organoids or spheroids – is a plus for this position. 
• Experience with large-scale / high-throughput mammalian cell culture is a plus for this position.

The base salary for this position is $73,700. This amount does not include benefits or other forms of compensation.