Senior Research Associate

The R&D team at Twist is searching for a curious, thoughtful, and driven individual with excellent lab hands to help us develop new products and applications in the Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) space.  Leveraging our silicon-based, massively-parallel DNA synthesis platform, you will conduct laboratory studies to develop, improve, and troubleshoot our latest NGS products.  In this position, you will have the opportunity to work on leading-edge products for genomics, diagnostics, and personalized medicine.  

First and foremost, we are looking for someone with a scientist’s mindset.  Creativity, critical thinking, careful experimental execution, and a desire to learn deep technical details are a must.  

Ideal candidates for this position are dedicated team players, capable of assisting with several projects at once, who can be a part of a strong collaboration between multiple innovative and encouraging individuals. Up-and-coming scientists that demonstrate self-motivation and enthusiasm for scientific bench work are strongly encouraged.

Your work will be mainly at the bench; however, you will have the opportunity to use high-throughput robotic instruments as well as coding and bioinformatics tools to expand your expertise.  You will work alongside and learn from some of the best scientists and bioinformaticians in the business. 

Key responsibilities:

• Design and perform experiments in collaboration with scientists and bioinformaticians, under aggressive timelines
• Develop and optimize experimental protocols
• Participate in technical discussions
• Document experimental designs and results; keep excellent records and data
• Support the larger R&D team in various lab/day-to-day operations and activities across the board
• Compile and present experimental results. 
• Learn and use a range of internal tools including basic plotting, statistical analysis, and custom bioinformatics pipelines to analyze experimental data

 Requirements:

• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry or a closely-related field with 5 years experience. 
• Hands-on experience with NGS and NGS applications (e.g. Running sequencers, performing whole genome sequencing, target enrichment, single cell sequencing, RNA-seq, exome-seq, ChIP Seq, or similar)
• Strong background and hands-on lab experience in molecular biology techniques such as PCR, electrophoresis, hybridization, primer design, etc. 
• Ability to execute experiments independently, collect data and analyze results with technical guidance from senior personnel
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills. High attention to detail. Ability to identify problems and use a combination of knowledge, intuition, and experience to solve problems in a timely manner
• Willing and able to grow with a fast-paced, highly-collaborative, multidisciplinary team

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Team player qualities, demonstrating trust, self-motivated and passionate about your work

Preferred Qualifications:

• Industry experience, especially involving massively-parallel sequencing technologies and/or target enrichment
• Bioinformatics and programming skills (python, R, shell scripting)

• Experience with liquid handling systems and automation tools
• Ability to shift from project to project on a regular basis
• Ability to take on new protocols with little guidance from manager

About Twist Bioscience

Twist Bioscience synthesizes genes from scratch, known as “writing” DNA. Just as children learn to both read and write, the next phase of development for the genomics revolution is the ability to write DNA.

At Twist Bioscience, we work in service of people who are changing the world for the better. In fields such as health care, agriculture, industrial chemicals and data storage, our unique silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform provides precision at a scale that is otherwise unavailable to our customers.

Twist Bioscience Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Twist Bioscience Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic characteristics, or any other category protected by law.