Who we are:

Calico is a research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies to increase our understanding of the biology that controls lifespan. We will use that knowledge to devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. Executing on this mission will require an unprecedented level of interdisciplinary effort and a long-term focus for which funding is already in place.

Position description:

The Biochemistry group at Calico is seeking a motivated Research Associate/Senior Research Associate to join our group. We are looking for someone with extensive knowledge in cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, and with demonstrated hands-on application of these in the dissection of signaling pathways and protein function in vitro and in cells. 

The Biochemistry group collaborates with multiple labs within Calico, and as such is involved in many areas of research, from oncology to proteostasis, as well as technology and assay development. The ideal candidate should be capable of quickly catching up with key aspects of new research directions, be capable of communicating his/her thoughts and results at a high level of scientific rigor, and be creative and autonomous in the generation and execution of ideas to move projects forward.

Position requirements:

• Recent PhD graduates are encouraged to apply.  Or thesis-based MS in cell biology, biochemistry, or related discipline required, plus 5 years of research experience in an academic or industry setting. 
• Demonstrated ability to design, execute and draw conclusions from scientific projects.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills, autonomy and self-motivation, ability to multitask, attention to detail and creative thinking.

Desired techniques:

• Cell Biology: mammalian cell maintenance, transfection, stable-cell line generation, gene silencing (i.e. RNAi, shRNA), gene knock-out and knock-in (i.e. CRISPR, TALENs), immunofluorescence, RNA and genomic DNA purification.
• Biochemistry: SDS-PAGE, western blot, immuno-precipitation, affinity-tag protein purification (i.e. His-, FLAG-, GST-, MBP-tags).
• Molecular biology: DNA purification and electrophoresis, construct design and cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, PCR.
• Assay development: ELISA, AlphaLISA, TR-FRET, luminescence-based assays.
• Quantitative skills: data analysis software (i.e. PRISM, Matlab, Python or R), image analysis (i.e. FIJI).