Senior Scientist, Pathogen Genetics

Ginkgo Bioworks is a publicly traded (NYSE: $DNA), high-growth biotechnology company based in Boston’s Seaport District, that is redesigning the living world to solve some of the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, material, and more. Our mission to “make biology easier to engineer” is poised to disrupt multiple industries by leveraging our innovative data, automation, and scale capabilities in biological engineering.

Ginkgo believes that if we are to grow a thriving, sustainable bioeconomy, we must also grow a new market in biosecurity. Our biosecurity and public health initiative, Concentric by Ginkgo, launched a nationwide emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing end-to-end pathogen monitoring services to schools, communities, and travelers. As we continue to scale Concentric, our work is also evolving into new and exciting directions, from global expansion to the integration of new technologies and capabilities, including our Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance Plan with the CDC.

We are seeking a motivated Senior Scientist to join our growing Biosecurity Team and be a part of implementing innovative biosecurity solutions. In this role you will be part of a team developing products for detection of existing and emerging pathogens. Your responsibilities will include assay development focused on designing and validating targeted sequencing panels for pathogen detection. The ideal candidate has a deep scientific knowledge in virology and pathogen genomics, including structure/function relationships that can inform experimental design and product development. The candidate will also have a strong background in assay development, molecular techniques, and sequencing across multiple platforms. This role will require good communication, a focused self-starter and someone who is able to work both independently and collaboratively. A strong sense of accountability and recent hands-on laboratory work is required.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate sequencing panels for pathogen detection
• In collaboration with bioinformatics team, analyze and interpret sequencing data to inform product development
• Act as technical subject matter expert (NGS and other molecular assay development, pathogen structure/function)
• Identify new technical capabilities for the biosurveillance roadmap
• Contribute to technical assessments of new technologies, assays, and devices (commercially available or in development by other entities)
• Provide project management for external partner and R&D projects
• Maintain strong knowledge in relevant scientific areas such as pathogen genetics, detection methods, and associated sample types

Minimum Requirements

• PhD in molecular virology or related field
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated expertise in designing enrichment sequencing panel assays
• Strong analytical skills, with an ability to make decisions based on sound scientific data
• Demonstrated wet lab troubleshooting skills
• NGS and assay development experience
• 10% travel

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

• Bioinformatics experience
• Experience working in a matrix environment
• Possess initiative and ability to identify issues and create solutions - strong bias for action
• Ability to achieve goals in a fast-paced dynamic environment while delivering high quality results
• Interpersonal and communication skills, emotional intelligence and an ability to work across organizational boundaries
• Experience managing external projects
• Experience in wastewater, metagenomics, or infectious diseases