RNA Engineer 2 @ Ginkgo Bioworks

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

The RNA Purification & Characterization (RPC) team is composed of experienced nucleic acid and protein scientists and biochemists. Our team operates at the intersection of circRNA, mRNA and other nucleic acid engineering, high-throughput screening, fermentation, and downstream processing to help purify and assess biomolecules that are central to the mission at Ginkgo. We utilize the latest software and automation to develop low, mid, and high throughput methods for nucleic acid in-vitro transcription, purification, enzyme kinetics and biophysical characterization.

A key enabling technology of our Mammalian RNA projects is the ability to produce circular RNA in high amounts. So far, this has been difficult for everyone in the RNA industry to achieve; Ginkgo is working to find solutions to this challenge. We currently have a process to enrich and purify circular RNA at scale, and are working to improve it to produce a step-change in production output. This role will operate both existing and future RNA analytics and purification processes as they evolve, and work the weekend shift.

Responsibilities

Operate in-house processes for circular RNA (circRNA) and mRNA production, including running HPLC or FPLC, collecting and pooling chromatogram peaks, and reporting in LIMS.
Perform circRNA and mRNA purifications to support chromatography process development and the supply of 1 mg of material to support in-vivo mouse studies and aid in the development and supply of the 1 gram scale.
Analyze circRNA and mRNA fraction intermediates and final purified material analytically using agarose and PAGE gels, capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE), ELISAs, HPLC and other methods.
Take ownership in troubleshooting and maintenance equipment
Use Ginkgo’s Software and Automation infrastructure to execute production process and collaborate with software engineers to understand and provide feedback on how to improve upon Ginkgo’s LIMS and data capture pipeline
Work with other team members to drive standardization, quality processes and documentation towards improving our analytical infrastructure.
Develop processes for verification and quality control and participate in the implementation of quality controls to our assays to ensure low CV and high reproducibility

Minimum Requirements

AS or BS in biochemistry, biology, analytical chemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, or equivalent degree + 2 years of related industry experience.
Lab experience in any of the following areas: chromatography, purification, enzymatics, analytics and/or general biotech laboratory work.
Basic knowledge of rudimentary analytical statistics (standard deviations, coefficients of variance, regression analysis, etc.)
Willingness to work over the weekend.

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

RNA biochemistry experience
Experience performing quantitative analyses using any of the techniques: CGE, Agarose Gel, PAGE, ELISA, qPCR/RT-PCR, HPLC / UPLC, SLS, DLS, Tm, SPR, BLI, CD
Direct experience analyzing data and reporting on analytical results
Prior experience working with automated and/or high throughput liquid handlers (Hamilton, LC autosamplers, automated workcells, etc
Demonstrated experience implementing quality controls in wet lab processes
Experience working within a cross functional environment
Knowledge of LEAN (or other organizational methodologies) to improve process efficiency and quality a plus.

To learn more about Ginkgo, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com/press/ or check out some curated press below:

We also feel that it’s important to point out the obvious here – there’s a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life.

We’re developing a powerful biological engineering platform, so we must remain mindful of the many ways our technology can – and will – impact people around the world. We care about how our platform is used, and having a diverse team to build it gives us the best chance that it’s something we’ll be proud of as it continues to grow. Therefore, it’s critical that we incorporate the diverse voices and visions of all those who play a role in the future of biology.

It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.

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