Postdoctoral Researcher, Gilbert Lab

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative: Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets,  accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.
• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

The Gilbert Lab is looking for motivated, hard-working and curious applicants. Our expertise is in synthetic biology, functional genomics and epigenetics. We have a long standing interest in using CRISPR approaches to control transcription. We are focused on utilizing our expertise to tackle big problems in human biology such as how cellular identity and the epigenome are  determined and maintained. Lastly, we are focused on leveraging our expertise in epigenetics and synthetic biology to design new therapeutic strategies in the context of cancer, viral biology and neurodegeneration.

The questions we ask:

1. How are genes turned on and off?
2. How are mechanisms of epigenetic memory established and maintained?
3. Which genes drive complex disease phenotypes and what are their mechanisms? How can we modulate these for therapeutic means? 
4. How can we use synthetic biology approaches to discover therapeutic strategies and design new gene, protein and small molecule therapeutics?
5. How can we deliver genetic medicines to the right cell types in the body?

The approach we take: CRISPR screens, high throughput synthetic biology, perturb-seq, in vitro disease models including iPSC models and primary cells, in vivo disease models.

Post-docs will be encouraged to lead independent projects resulting in high impact publications, present at conferences and prepare for long-term careers in academia or industry.

About you

• You are extremely curious and self-motivated to push the boundaries of biotechnology and/or biomedical research.
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment while conducting rigorous and impactful research.
• You are intellectually independent and are able to design new research directions and projects (with input from your PI).
• You are eager to learn and adapt new techniques.
• You are excited by solving puzzles that have a translational impact and/or creating new therapeutic approaches. 

In this position you will

• Design, perform and analyze experiments 
• Keep appropriate experimental records and documentation
• Analyze results with the Principal Investigator
• General lab maintenance as well as operation and maintenance of equipment and instruments.
• Collaborate with post-docs, students and employees
• May mentor/train research associates, technicians, and students. 
• Publish, present, and represent that lab in journals and conferences.
• Present at lab meetings, and participate in Arc-wide activities (seminars, symposiums, etc).

Requirements

• Doctorate (MD, PhD, VMD, or DDS) in the area directly related to the field of research specialization. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a highly collaborative team player.

The minimum base salary for this position is $80,000. Base salary for this role is determined by how many months of relevant postdoctoral experience a successful candidate has. Base salary for this role is not negotiable.