Biological scientist job description

This position will be responsible for performing non-research molecular testing to rapidly identify and characterize potential biological threat agents. Ensures incoming environmental samples are triaged and processed while maintaining chain of custody. Following standard protocols and quality assurance requirements, performs and interprets a variety of specialized tests for detection and identification of pathogens.

Completes documentation, prepares reports, answers question, troubleshoots, and makes recommendations to the supervisor for inclusion in comprehensive reports. Maintains and operates equipment and instruments, including performing calibrations and adjustments, properly and in a safe manner. Safely handles various biological materials, including biohazardous waste. Participates in training as required. Maintain knowledge and skills related to position and program.

Additionally, the Lead is responsible for work schedules, generating and maintaining documentation, performing competency assessments, executing corrective action plans, and participating in program-related communications and studies.

Routine lab operations are 7/365 and team members take turns working weekends and holidays. During a biothreat emergency, 24-hour coverage of lab operations is needed, and extended work hours and alternative shift work may be required.

PhD or Master's degree an accredited university in microbiology, molecular biology, or related course work in biological sciences with at least two years of laboratory bench experience using PCR, aseptic techniques, and biological assays, and at least two years of experience serving as a Senior Scientist or Team Leader of a laboratory team/project.

Bachelor's degree from an accredited university requires five years of laboratory bench experience, including at least two years of experience as a Team/Leader.
Biological Safety Level (BSL)-3 experience is desirable This position supports a Federal contract which requires that all employees and job applicants hold valid US Citizenship or are lawfully admitted for permanent US residence as evidenced by a current Permanent Resident Card (USCIS - I-551).



A-TEK, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, or Vietnam era or other protected Veteran status.

ArsenalBio's mission is to develop efficacious and safe cellular therapies for patients with chronic diseases, initially cancer. Our products are being designed to herald the transition of adoptive cell therapy from a hospital based treatment to outpatient therapy, like most other cancer treatments.

Our approach requires novel receptors to empower cell therapies to sense their environment and respond as needed to resolve disease states. This role in ArsenalBio's Synthetic Biology group lies at the forefront of the development and application of those novel synthetic receptors. In it, you will interface closely with colleagues across ArsenalBio's Discovery, Development and Technology organizations, as well as external collaborators and thought leaders.

What You Will Do:Engineer T cells with novel perturbations for in vitro and in vivo testing Apply experience in high-throughput screening (pooled and arrayed approaches) and T cell functional assays (multicolor flow cytometry, luciferase, Incucyte, Luminex, etc.) to screen genetic and epigenetic perturbations for a portfolio of cell therapy applications Use lab automation tools to execute workflows at high throughput to enable pooled/arrayed functional screening of DNA libraries in primary immune cells and cell lines. Coordinate tasks across multiple projects, demonstrating prioritization and planning Interpret and effectively execute experiments in line with project timelines and goals.Document experimental design and generation of large scale datasets with attention to detail Maintain familiarity with the relevant current literature and its application in cell therapy Contribute to functional module and T-cell circuit development and execution of experiments by working successfully within the matrix organization for developing ideas, analyzing data, and giving effective presentations.Flexibility to work remotely as needed depending on project demands.

What Will You Bring:PhD in molecular biology, immunology, protein engineering, synthetic biology or a related field OR Masters with 5 years industry experience OR Bachelors with 7+ years industry experience Experience with RNA silencing and related analytical methods including quantitative PCR and RNA-seq Hands-on experience with aseptic cell culture technique. Experience performing T cell functional assays (T and tumor cell co-cultures, T cell cytotoxicity assays, etc.) is preferred.Experience with DNA construct designs, including expression cassette architectures, functional component libraries, expression tuning, and reporter systems.Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.Ability to quickly learn new skills and knowledge on the job, demonstrate productivity, and deliver high-quality results. Ability to multitask as needed in a start-up environment.Entrepreneurial behaviors demonstrated by agility, accountability, transparency, resourcefulness, and ability to get things done.Demonstrated ability to perform as a team player.

What Might You Bring:Experience with high-throughput functional characterization of DNA and protein libraries in pooled and/or arrayed formats Experience using plate-scale lab automation tools Experience in developing flow cytometry protocols for cell therapy/synthetic biology applications Working knowledge of NGS technologies and workflows Familiarity with Python/R or similar environments for pipelining of routine data analysis Collaborative experience with computational biologists and/or software engineers to help develop and use novel tools for construct design, experimental planning and/or data analysis Experience with multiplexing/barcoding approaches for scaling experimental throughput
What We Will Offer You:
ArsenalBio has a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes but is not limited to medical, dental, and vision as well as mental health resources, virtual and telehealth options, coaching, infertility treatment, parental leave and health savings accounts. We also offer flexible work schedules and flexible time off, which includes two extra “Arsenal Days of Rest” every quarter for employees to recharge.

We have a robust mentorship program, and comprehensive development tools to help employees take control of their career paths and grow into their best selves. ArsenalBio believes in investing in the well-being of our employees - both at work and at home, as they are our greatest asset. They bring scientific talents in molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology, protein chemistry, computational biology, automation, genome engineering, software and other fields to make the future happen now.

ArsenalBio prioritizes the providing of a safe and healthy workplace that is consistent with COVID-19 public health guidance and legal requirements. In order to protect our employees and visitors, we require all visitors (including candidates) and employees to present proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when coming onsite.

We are committed to hiring the best talent from diverse backgrounds. A diverse workforce engenders richness of thought, creativity and discovery. We invite individuals who embrace intellectual achievement to bring their unique personal and professional journeys and together we will build transformative cell therapies for cancer patients.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

To all recruitment agencies: ArsenalBio does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, or ArsenalBio employees. ArsenalBio is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

**Why Patients Need You**

Pfizer's purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients' lives. Research and Development is at the heart of fulfilling Pfizer's purpose as we work to translate advanced science and technologies into the therapies and vaccines that matter most. Whether you are in the discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy or supporting clinical trials, you will apply cutting edge design and process development capabilities to accelerate and bring the best in class medicines to patients around the world.

**What You Will Achieve**

The Internal Medicine Research Unit (IMRU) is committed to finding cures for cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, and related complications.The Metabolism group is part of IMRU and focused on identifying novel therapies to improve metabolic homeostasis in patients afflicted with these diseases. Our goal is to build a research team of driven scientists focused on developing a deep mechanistic understanding of the metabolic pathways driving Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and renal diseases.

**How You Will Achieve It**

+ The successful candidate is expected to drive in vitro and in vivo biological studies to address mechanistic and pharmacologic questions.

+ Technical expertise in cell culture and experimentation required along with the ability to analyze and interpret data.

+ A successful candidate must be motivated and demonstrate a desire to understand the underlying causes of metabolic disease and basic metabolic pathways involved in disease progression.

+ Experience with rodents is preferred. This role will not be primarily focused on in vivo techniques but the candidate will be expected to learn and perform some in vivo skills in the future.

**Qualifications**

**Must-Have**

+ BA/BS degree with 6+ years or MA/MS degree with 4+ years' experience in Molecular or Cellular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology (or a comparable biological science) in an academic or pharmaceutical/biotech environment.

+ Experience in cell culture, genetic manipulation of cells such as CRISPR, si RNA, or transfection.

+ Basic laboratory skills including ELISA, Western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR, immune precipitation and preparation of solutions and reagents.

+ Well versed in experimental design and in the analysis and interpretation of results.

+ Ability to troubleshoot methodologies and experimental results.

+ Excellent organization and planning skills, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment independently or as part of a team, strong motivation with a dedicated work ethic.

+ Possess strong written/verbal communication skills and the ability to present at both internal and external meetings

**Nice-to-Have**

+ Experience in pharmacology or drug discovery.

+ Experience in basic rodent handling and with some in vivo technical skills(dosing, tissue collection, etc.); preference for candidates with a willingness to learn rodent handling as job will require some in vivo work.

**Other Job Details**

+ Work Location Assignment:On Premise. On Premise colleagues work in a Pfizer site because it's needed to get their job done. They may have flexibility to work remotely from time to time, but they are primarily on-site.

\#LI-PFE

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

**Pfizer requires all U.S. new hires to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the first date of employment. As required by applicable law, Pfizer will consider requests for Reasonable Accommodations.**

**Sunshine Act**

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider's name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

**EEO & Employment Eligibility**

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.

Research and Development