hero
Valor Capital Group
94
companies
851
Jobs

Research Associate III - Gene Editing

Ohalo Genetics

Ohalo Genetics

Mills River, NC, USA
Posted 6+ months ago

Position: Research Associate III - Potato Editing Pipeline Manager

Location: Mills River, NC

Type: Full time

Desired start date: August 5, 2024

The Opportunity:

Ohalo Genetics is seeking a motivated Research Associate III to support the buildout of a production potato gene editing pipeline as part of a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary team. The successful candidate will be exceptionally organized and detail-oriented, prioritizing accuracy and reproducibility but driven to find efficient solutions for improvement of the production pipeline. The candidate will initially spend most of their time performing protoplast editing experiments in collaboration with research associates and lab technicians. The candidate will also be coordinating the implementation of automated solutions in collaboration with automation engineers and scientists. By the end of the first 7 months, the production pipeline should be fully operational and the position will become focused on coordination, troubleshooting and continual identification of bottlenecks and process improvements.

Responsibilities:

  • Operationalizing an established gene editing pipeline in a new lab facility and facilitating tech transfer between the two Ohalo sites with the goal of achieving a fully functional high throughput production editing pipeline.
  • Implementing automated systems for protoplast procedures in collaboration with Ohalo automation engineers and scientists.
  • Training a junior research associate and lab technicians on the various steps in the protoplast editing pipeline.
  • Maintaining oversight of a large collection of diverse plant materials (in vitro plantlets, callus and regenerating shoots) in a lab by keeping it organized physically and digitally and coordinating the activities necessary to maintain optimal quality and enable their utilization for gene editing.
  • Perform data collection and analysis and provide rapid and clear updates to the status of plant materials and progress towards project goals.
  • Find and implement ways and tools to improve speed, efficiency and reproducibility.

Candidate Profile:

  • Bachelor or Masters degree, ideally in Biotechnology, Biology, Chemistry, Agricultural Sciences, or related field, with 4+ years of laboratory or inventory management experience
  • Exceptionally organized and detail oriented
  • Takes great care in accurate record keeping including proactively admitting mistakes
  • Always on the lookout for oddities that could be potential errors or discoveries
  • Production mindset - interested in lab automation incl. robotics.
  • Good communication skills, both written and verbal (ability to follow instructions and protocols; instruct others; write protocols and SOPs)
  • Can present progress clearly and concisely to a broad audience outside of science group and answer wide set of questions
  • Positive attitude and good interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced, start-up company environment
  • Safety consciousness
  • Growth mindset, considers no limit to excellence

Desired skills/experience:

  • Experience with inventory or project management (ideally with plants, seeds, or other biological entities) or experience in a lab environment.
  • Experience with plant tissue culture including cell culture
  • Extensive experience with sterile technique
  • Understanding of plant biology and biotechnology.
  • Proficiency in MS Excel and Google Sheets (particularly with creating formulas and pivot tables)
  • Proficiency with electronic notebook software, SQL and tidy data concepts
  • Teaching/training experience

About Ohalo:

Ohalo is using an evolutionary lens to reimagine the art and science of plant breeding. We seek to transform breeding and production systems with a goal of helping to sustainably support the world’s growing population.

Notes: If you previously applied for a job at Ohalo, we encourage you to restate your interest in the position by submitting your application.

No visa sponsorship is available for this position at this time.

No recruiters please.